


Tribute

by CALLEN37



Series: The Colomba family [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Italian Mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 17:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has a BIG secret, His family is a little more complicated than he ever let on. And this secret could cost him dearly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Slipping unnoticed in between the crowds at the naval yard, a young Italian girl made her way to the back of the crowd and quietly climbed up the roof of a nearby warehouse.

The USS Wasp slipped into its home port amidst cheering families eager to welcome their loved ones home. The girl wondered briefly about her family. She knew her father was not far from here and wondered whether or not she had time to fit in a visit after the job was done.

She set up her M40A3 rifle and settled down, she had time and the weather was at least nice. She took the picture of the target out of her pocket. Petty Officer Jackson looked smart in his picture, she wondered what he had done to deserve this but knocked the thought away, it wasn't in her interests to start to care, he had obviously in some way angered the Boss and it was her job to take him out, that was that. Right now she wasn't a teenager, she was a Hitman...Hitgirl whatever. She was Cosa Nostra; he was a target as simple as that.

Petty officer Jackson was having a bad day. His ship had got into port and he knew he had to face his demons. He had effectively stolen from the Mafia, $25,000 worth of heroin which he had mislaid. Now he was back in port he knew there was nowhere to hide. As he walked down the gangplank of the ship he breathed a sigh of relief as he couldn't see any Mafia enforcers on the dock. It was his last sigh as a bullet slammed through his forehead and his body fell onto the tarmac.

The girl packed up, policing her brass and cleaning down the scene methodically just as her parents had taught her. She put the rifle back in its case and as the paramedics came screaming past her she calmly walked out of the gate.

* * *

Gibbs looked up at his team; Ziva was talking on the phone to a contact in Hebrew he was hoping it was about one of the many cold cases they had been working on for the past few days. Tim was down with Abby overhauling a programme on the computer which they had both convinced him, would cut search parameters in half and Tony was...well being Tony. All his work had been completed overnight, he knew that his SFA had been in from about 2300 the night before and it always amazed him how he could do that, still work and hardly sleep. He turned his attention to the T.V. playing behind Tony's head. The USS Wasp was in the background and a camera crew was showing pictures of families coming home and then a man falling from the gangplank.

Gibb picked up his phone and looked at it. Both Tony and Ziva sensed a change fro their boss and looked at him as he picked up his badge and gun and then called McGee.

"McGee, up here now." He said. The others looked at his quizzically and then his phone rang. "Gibbs." He said and listened to the voice on the other end. He put the phone down and turned to the others, "Dead Petty Officer in Norfolk, Grab your gear." Then he headed towards the elevators.

"How does he do that?" Ziva asked in awe. DiNozzo shrugged "It's Gibbs." He replied.

* * *

The arrived at Norfolk Base and walked up to the crime scene. The local LEO's were there and Gibbs walked up to the man in charge for a run down and sent Tony and Ziva to interview witnesses and there were a lot of them and Tim photographed the crime scene.

"DiNozzo what have we got?" Gibbs asked.

"Witnesses recall hearing a gunshot and seeing the Petty Officer go down. Some say they think it was a sniper."

"You go check out the roof," Gibbs told him."David with DiNozzo."

They started looking at the warehouses to see which one was most likely to be the sniper's nest.

"McGee!" Gibbs shouted and McGee ran over to his side.

"Cameras?" He asked looking at a few security cameras

"On it Boss!" McGee said and he and Gibbs drove back to NCIS as Ducky and Palmer left with the body.

* * *

Up on the roof Ziva and Tony looked around "Over here!" Ziva called and Tony took a picture of where there were scuff marks from the tripod of a rifle.

"Looks like the shooter policed their brass." Tony remarked.

"I have a hair here; it looks like the shooter may have been a girl?" Ziva remarked as she took her tweezers and an evidence bag and collected a long brown hair.

"Cool maybe she's another Mossad assassin," Tony joked as Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you are clutching at sticks Tony." Ziva said. Tony looked at her and grinned, "its straws my little Ninja chick." He informed her and smiled wider as she screwed her face up and walked away in a huff.

The both arrived at Quantico as Tim was getting the first bits of security footage up.

"There wasn't much up there Boss," Tony said as Ziva got the evidence they did have out of her bag, "I will drop this off to Abby now." She said and Gibbs nodded.

* * *

Tony sat down and downloaded his photos onto the computer. Then looked up as Tim showed Gibbs some of the grainy security footage they had.

Tony's phone beeped. He looked down at the text message and felt a hole in his stomach.

' **Hey pops in town, wanna meet up. T**.'

His head snapped up, "Bathroom break Boss," He said and headed off around the corner.

He pulled his phone out when he was sure there was no one around and dialled a number. "Hey Tonia...Sure, I'm pretty busy but I'll try and get away...I don't want to ask but does this have anything to do with...HELL!... I'll meet you at the cafe on route one in five mins," He closed his phone and grabbed his bag and ran towards the elevator.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs called as he ran past.

"Family emergency Boss," He yelled back and kept going.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs looked at the retreating form of his SFA and his gut went into overdrive, As far as he knew Tony had no family apart from his Father and Senior short of dying would not provoke this response in Tony.

"McGee, Can you trace the last call DiNozzo got on his cell?" He asked.

Tim looked up for a second and then started typing furiously on his keyboard.

"The last call he got was from you Boss," he said, "But he had a text message from a burn phone and then he called the number back."

"You got GPS on that phone?" Gibbs asked.

"Er...yeah the diner on route one." McGee replied.

Gibbs picked up his gun and badge Ziva and McGee made to follow him. "Stay here." Gibbs growled and stalked out of the building.

* * *

Tony pulled up outside the Diner to see the girl sitting in a corner booth with her back to the wall so she could see everyone that came in.

She looked like she wasn't watching but he knew better and saw her stiffen as he entered the diner.

"Tonia." He said and sat facing her; she shifted position a fraction so her view of the room was uninterrupted.

"Hey," She said quietly.

"How are you?" He asked checking every inch of her he could see for any marks or scars.

She flicked her eyes over a silver haired man who walked into the coffee shop and sat with his back to them and then put her eyes back on Tony.

"I'm unhurt," She replied quickly knowing that was what he wanted to know. It was the first thing he always asked her.

"I missed you." He held her hand not caring how it might look to anyone watching just knowing that feeling her hand in his was his way of feeling she was still alive.

She let a single tear roll down her face. "I've had enough, I want out." She breathed and he almost didn't catch it.

"Do they know your here?" He asked.

"They sent me to do the job, it's done, I want to go to college, I want a life Dad, and I want to be normal!" The gray haired man stiffened slightly listening but the others hadn't caught on to him being there.

"I can help get you into witness protection." Tony offered

"Omerta!" Tonia said quickly.

"Tonia DiColomba, do you think I care, you are more important than that, I'm a fed now not a beat cop anymore, I can pay Tribute in other ways, Senior can't keep you there and you know enough to take the whole family down."

"You'd stand up to him and mom." She looked up surprised.

"If I had to." He admitted.

"But if the Feds find out who I am, who you are, you'll lose your job."

"Not gonna happen kid," He grinned. "I've been in law enforcement for years, if they were gonna find out they would have by now."

Listening to the conversation Gibb's blood started to boil; Tony was keeping a secret from him. Apparently a huge one that could cost his job. He should turn around now and confront Tony, but he decided to let it play out and see what he could find out.

"After you killed the petty officer did you contact them?" He asked.

"Told em the job was done and I was on my way back." She said.

At that Gibbs had to turn around. "You gonna arrest her DiNozzo?" He growled.

"Boss!" Tony jumped to his feet. "I...I..."

Tonia jumped up behind him "You set me up!" She glared at Tony.

Tony couldn't think and let instinct kick in and landed Gibbs a punch on the jaw, grabbed Tonia's hand "Come on!" He yelled and ran out of there pulling her along.

They jumped in Tony's car and he threw his phone out of the window and peeled off.

* * *

Gibbs picked himself up and opened his phone.

"McGee, Put a BOLO out for Tony's car and run a check on a Tonia DiColomba." He shut the phone off and headed back.

McGee put down his phone and looked worriedly at Ziva.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Boss called, I have to put a BOLO out on Tony's car."

"Do you think he's been kidnapped?" Ziva asked concerned.

"I don't know, we need to look into the files of a Tonia DiColomba." He added and Ziva nodded and started to help with the search.

"You should run a GPS trace on Tony's phone, it might help." Ziva offered seeing as she could see how worried McGee was for his best friend.

Tim looked up confused. "GPS puts the phone in the elevator, here?" He looked up as the elevator dinged and Gibbs walked out looking furious.

"You find him?" Gibbs asked.

"Is he ok?" Ziva asked.

"Until I kill him." Gibbs growled, "DID YOU FIND HIM?" He yelled at McGee who jumped

"I put a BOLO out but the GPS on his car was disabled Boss," Tim said.

Gibbs turned and went to his desk and picked up his phone, "Fornell, here now." He slammed the phone back in its cradle.

"Gibbs is Tony in trouble." Ziva stood in front of his desk.

"Well apart from the fact he just punched me and ran off with our murderer, and has been hiding secrets from us and the Feds. I don't think he could be in more trouble do you." He said and looked up to his other agents shocked faces.

"If he contacts ANY of you I want to know, tell Abby and Ducky too!" Gibb stormed up to Vance's office to fill him in on what had happened whilst Ziva called Ducky and Abby up to fill them in.

* * *

Tony knew he had a matter of about an hour to clear out what he needed from his apartment before Gibbs thought to come here looking for him.

"Grab some food and water." He told Tonia before walking to his closet he grabbed the Armani suits out of his wardrobe and threw them on the bed.

He grabbed a ready packed bag from the back of the wardrobe filled with clothes he knew his partners would be surprised to see him in namely jeans, hoodies and t-shirts. He opened the safe at the back of his wardrobe and took out another bag. This one he filled with false passports and I.D's and about $50,000 in cash. Tonia walked up behind him as he pulled another bag full of weapons from behind a false panel in his wardrobe. "Wow, you were ready for this?" she asked.

"I'm his son, if the con-artist persona ever fell through and they found out who he really was, I knew I would need to run, I've been ready since I was 12 and he hid me in boarding schools. The only addition I made was these." He handed her 3 false passports and I.D's in her name.

The only other thing he grabbed was a photo of Gibbs and the team, which had been taken at Christmas.

* * *

Fornell was as mad as hell. Gibbs had called him and ordered him to come to his office.

As mad as he was he wasn't stupid and had stopped for coffee on the way. Hoping that the coffee would help calm Jethro down from whatever was biting his ass today.

"Coffee!" Fornell said and put it in front of him.

Gibbs looked up a flicker of thanks shot through his eyes which Fornell caught, "What's up?"

"DiNozzo." He growled, "Conference room." He said and Fornell followed him.

"So," Fornell said after he had shut the door, "What's DiNutso got himself involved with now?"

"Gonna ask you, I need what you have on Senior and the Mafia and on a Tonia DiColomba?"

Fornell looked confused. "Nothing on Senior and the Mafia...except a few rumours we couldn't pin down, but Colomba that's one of the biggest crime families in New York."

Fornell looked at Gibbs "We need access to a computer, where's that Nerd of yours."

"Come on." Gibbs said.

They walked into the bull pen.

"McGee, use these passwords go into my files on the Colomba Mafia family." Fornell said and McGee looked at Gibbs who nodded and Tim started typing.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

They waited as Tim called the files up and Fornell's cell rang. "Yeah," he said and listened while the guy on the other end talked.

He closed the phone and turned to Gibbs, "What's your boy got himself into. All hell is breaking loose in New York; apparently the Head of the Colomba family is heading to D.C. with a handful of enforcers." He turned to McGee. "Open that." He said pointing to an email with picture attachments.

Tim opened the email and put the pictures on the plasma which showed, DiNozzo Senior and a dark haired, Italian woman followed by about 20 enforcers getting into cars.

"What's he doing there?" Gibbs asked.

"Who?" Fornell asked confused.

"DiNozzo Senior?" Gibbs said pointing at him.

"No, that's Antonio Colomba," Fornell said, "Never actually got any pictures of DiNozzo's dad," Fornell admitted.

"So, who's the girl?" Gibbs asked confused.

"We think she may be DiNozzo's sister or maybe a cousin, her name is Vittoria DiNozzo."

"I'm confused." Ziva said.

"Makes two of us." Gibbs admitted.

* * *

Tony walked out of the car dealership and smiled as he called Tonia over.

"Wanna see?" He asked as she looked at him quizzically.

"What'cha got?" She asked

She nearly choked as he steered her towards a rusty pick up truck. "$350, It was a steal." He told her. "Yep, they stole from you all right." She muttered.

"Tonia, it's a non descript truck. It'll escape the BOLO." He told her, "We need to get to ground soon. I dread to think what'll happen when Dad finds out your missing. Between my family and Gibbs hunting us we need somewhere to plan and regroup." He said earnestly.

She knew it was needed, so she didn't complain as they pulled up to a motel and booked a room for the night.

"Pizza?" He asked and she nodded as he ordered. "Right, we'll eat and then plan our next move."

He went and had a shower and left her the money for the pizza.

Half an hour later he was dressed in Jeans and a t-shirt. She grinned at him, "No designer labels, you don't look like you." She grinned at him.

"That's the idea, what do you think about the hair?" He asked. She nodded thoughtfully as his brown hair was now blonde.

"You look like a surfer dude," She laughed. He smiled at her, it was nice to see her laugh he hadn't seen that since she was a baby. "Laugh it up fuzz ball; you're next, Red head or blonde, your choice." He said as he threw her the boxes.

"I don't know?" she said looking at them, "Maybe blonde so we can still look related."

"Honey, It doesn't matter what you look like you'll always be my girl." He hugged her and as she went to the bathroom the smile slipped off his face and a look of worry replaced it.

He took out the passports and I.D's and took Tonia's too to find a matching set.

He laughed to himself as he looked at the name on the ones he'd picked.

Lee Gibbs and Katie Gibbs.

He took out his wallet and started swapping the I.D over.

"So who are we?" Tonia asked as she came out of the shower.

"Lee and Katie Gibbs." He said to her

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Gibbs." She smiled and dried her hair. "Where are we off to?" she asked off hand hoping they were going to leave the country.

"Right now we are staying in D.C. it's too dangerous to leave; also I want you to think carefully about talking to the Feds."

"DAD!" She wailed.

"No, I am...was, a Fed, Your grandfather needs to be stopped, I wish I could stop him but the reason he kicked me out at 12 years old was so I wouldn't have any dirt on him, that and the fact he didn't want his enemies to find me."

"But if they put me in witness protection, what about you?" She asked.

To be honest he didn't know, maybe he'd end up behind bars for lying about his name on the application form. Everything else he knew was true. So he didn't have any qualms about that.

He was hoping they might let him have his job back when it was discovered he didn't know anything about what his father actually did although he could just imagine the backlash when they found out who he was and the fact he hadn't used his family connections to help the FBI in taking down his family.

But more than anything he figured he'd be dead anyway...he'd hit Leroy Jethro Gibbs...he was a goner!

"And what about university I wanted to go to Georgetown and study military Science and then go to FLETC and, be just like you." She continued.

He smiled but he didn't have the heart to tell her it might not be an option.

"Honey, I know what they made you do wasn't your fault but while we are on the run that just isn't an option. Maybe if we called the FBI and came in, at least in witness protection you'd have a clean slate." He argued.

"What about the guy I killed?" She asked scared, the old guy in the diner had heard her confess to killing him and had wanted her dad to arrest her.

"We'll make it part of the deal all charges dropped." Tony said.

"And Poppa?" She asked scared of her grandfather.

"Hopefully he'll rot in jail." He said flatly.

"He said he'd kill us." She whispered.

"I know." He replied.

She sat on the motel bed hugging her knees. She was scared and now this had come out, so was he and she knew it.

* * *

Antonio Colomba Senior was furious. That was putting it mildly.

He had been sitting at his desk sorting out his weeks work when he got the call from Tonia.

"Yes." He had said

"Poppa, I'm done, I'm going to see my father and I want to go to school." She had said. Instantly his face clouded up.

"You are NOT to contact him. I will kill him if I find you both together!" He yelled. "Your mother and I are coming to get you." He had slammed the phone down.

"Vittoria!" He yelled, and she ran into the room. "Sir?" she said.

"Your daughter may be responsible for ruining this family." He said quietly his voice carrying more venom than was ever heard from him.

"Your orders sir?" she asked.

"We go to D.C. and take her out. If we can stop her talking and bring her home, all well and good if not..." He trailed off but she got the message.

"Yes Sir." She said and fell in behind him as they walked to the car.

* * *

McGee opened Fornell's files and looked up in shock.

"Boss... Senior ...IS Colomba." He said as Gibbs looked up at the screen.

"So you've had the son of the FBI's most wanted working at NCIS?" Fornell said.

"NO! That can't be right." Abby said appearing behind them, "There has to be some mistake."

"Abs, until we find him we can't be absolutely sure of anything." Gibbs told her gently not wanting to upset her anymore than she always was.

Fornell phone rang again, "Yeah? Where ok keep an eye on them." He said and closed the phone and turned to Gibbs, "Agent Sacks, He says he's found them at a motel just outside D.C. They are booked in under the names of Lee and Katie Gibbs"Fornell gave a small grin at the irony.

"You're with me," Gibbs said to Fornell, "Grab your gear," He said to the others and they left.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Tony woke up and looked over at Tonia sleeping on the bed. He grinned at how sweet she looked.

"Come on, time to get up and moving." He said gently shaking her shoulders.

She groaned and got up. "Breakfast?" She asked. He shrugged apologetically "Cold pizza." She nodded and grabbed a slice, "We'll grab coffee on out way to the next place." He told her.

They packed up and got ready to leave.

* * *

Fornell and Gibbs closely followed by McGee and David pulled in around the corner from the motel and next to the car with Agent Sacks in.

"So," Fornell asked his junior agent "Any sign of them?"

"Not yet, according to the manager they are in room 12." Sacks told him.

"Stay here." Gibbs growled and stalked towards the room.

He banged loudly on the door and looked as Tony opened the curtains.

"Tony, Open up, we need to talk!" Gibbs called.

Fornell watched from a distance as the door cracked open, 'don't go in!' he said under his breath and groaned as Gibbs went into the room.

Just as they were grabbing their bags the door knocked.

Tonia and Tony both grabbed their guns.

"Tony, Open up, we need to talk!" he heard from the other side of the door.

"We should run!" Tonia said.

"No, I trust him, wait." Tony said and took his gun out of his belt and opened the door a crack.

"Just you Gibbs." Tony said and let him in.

Gibbs entered the room and sat on the nearest chair. "So, DiNozzo, you wanna fill me in."

Tony sat on the bed and looked lost; Gibbs looked at his SFA and was really surprised to see a look he hadn't ever seen on his face, Terror.

"I kind of lied Boss." Tony said feeling the need to start from the beginning.

"Are you in the Mafia?" Gibbs asked bluntly.

"Not exactly. No." Tony said just as Tonia said "Yes." At the same time.

"You are?" He asked looking at the girl. He noticed as Tony took up a protective stance between Gibbs and the girl.

She pulled herself up to her full height "Tonia DiColomba." She said.

"She's my daughter Boss," Tony said.

Thinking about what he had been told from Fornell he asked his SFA a question he thought he'd never ask. "And who are you...Really?"

Tony took a deep breath and looked at the floor in shame, "You know?"

"I wanna hear it from you, Tony." Gibb said softly.

"Antonio Colomba junior." He said saying a name he vowed he'd never use.

"And the DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked,

"My mother's surname," Tonia said. Gibbs looked confused, "Mother? We thought she was your sister." He said looking again at Tony.

"Her father was my fathers consigliere, we grew up together until I was 12 and my father threw me out, we met up again at Ohio State, I took her name to get away from my father and, well, we fell for each other and she had Tonia who took the Di from her mothers name and the rest of mine." Tony explained and sighed. "I really loved Vittoria but she decided to follow in her fathers footsteps and work for my father and she took Tonia with her and I was forbidden to see her."

Gibbs nodded trying to get his head around the situation.

"I don't and NEVER did want any part of what my father was doing." He laughed a hollow laugh, "Some kid's rebel against their parents by breaking the law, I rebelled by becoming a cop,"

"And you, did you shoot that Petty Officer?" Gibbs asked the kid, annoyed that a child had been brought into all of this.

"Mom, brought me up to be Seniors assassin, I could go where others couldn't. I mean who would look at a child." She said.

"Kind of like Ziva," Tony explained and smiled lopsided at Tonia when she looked confused.

"I'm disappointed in you DiNozzo?" Gibb said after a few moments.

"Why cos I let 'Slacks' contact Fornell and tell you where I was?" Tony grinned.

Gibbs looked surprised but nodded and Tony took comfort in knowing that he'd finally managed to surprise him,

"I had to get you here; I needed to talk to you. I lost my phone remember" Tony looked at Gibbs. "Is there a way out for Tonia?" he asked.

"She committed murder DiNozzo?" Gibbs said.

"She's 16, she's a kid and she was under orders!" Tony yelled.

"We need to bring her in. You to." He added.

"I thought... I could trust you." Tony said the hurt evident on his face.

"You can." Gibbs said, "Come in and we will sort this out."

Tony sat there his head slumped in defeat. "Dad?" Tonia said.

"Tonia, I trust him, for now." Tony said and looked at Gibbs, "We will only come in if you sort this out, please dont turn us over to the FBI, and my father has someone there giving him information."

"Fine," Gibbs clipped out, he picked up his phone. "Ziva, McGee you can come in now." He said.

They both entered and Gibbs turned to Tony. "We have to cuff you." He said and Tony nodded and looked at Tonia, "We will stay together though?" She asked.

"For now." Gibbs said.

Ziva led them both out to Gibb's Car and put them in the back seat.

* * *

"I'll take them back with Fornell," Gibbs told his two other agents. "You guys take the bags to Abby for evidence."

Both Gibbs and Fornell got in the car for the ride back to NCIS.

Tony and Tonia sat in the back, Tonia giving her father defiant glares, she hated being handcuffed and couldn't understand why he had let them be taken so easily. But Tony gave her a look she interpreted as it'll be ok and she relaxed a bit.

After about 10 minutes Fornell turned to Gibbs. "Jethro?" He said.

"I see it." Gibbs replied and started taking evasive actions as three black SUV's blocked them in.

"Poppa?" Tonia whispered

Gibbs kept driving and Fornell got his gun out.

"Sorry, Boss." Tony said and looked at Tonia, "Now hun." She nodded in understanding and they both slipped out of their handcuffs and grabbed back up guns from ankle holsters on their legs.

They both shot at the SUV's beside them causing one to flip over and explode. The other two pulled up and Fornell and Gibbs took up protective stances behind their car.

"Ya ain't going with em Tony." Gibbs said mad as hell.

"Glad we're on the same page Boss." Tony smirked back.

As they were firing a fourth SUV pulled up behind them and a woman got out and grabbed Tonia.

"DAD!" She screamed and Tony turned his attention to the action behind him.

"Tori, Let her go. Please!" He begged at the woman.

"No, she comes with us; He'll deal with you later." She shot Tony in the shoulder and as his head cracked on the pavement his sound was of Tonia screaming for him.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Monsters plagued his dreams, nightmares he hadn't had since his childhood. Mostly of his father and some of the horrors he had witnessed growing up. Now intermixed with these, were images of his daughter being tortured or killed and him not being able to get there.

Gibbs sat next to Tony's bedside dozing off with a coffee in his hand which went flying as Tony sat bolt upright in the bed next to him and screamed.

"Tony its ok you're safe." Gibbs told him, as Tony fell, exhausted back onto the bed.

"Salvarle, il suo piacere a Dio, Salvarle!" He wept still not coherent. "Gibbs, save her," He breathed.

"Its ok Tony, we'll find her." He promised his earlier anger at his agents' deception forgotten at the sight of his SFA's obvious distress.

"How is he?" Fornell asked putting his head round the door.

"The gunshot missed anything vital, and he's got concussion where his head hit the pavement. There's a slight swelling but the doctors don't think there will any permanent damage. We're just waiting for him to wake up now." Gibbs told him.

"We still need to take a statement off of him and sort this mess out." Fornell groaned.

"Any sign of the girl," Gibbs asked hoping to have some news to tell Tony when he awoke.

"No, but we do have people watching the Colomba compound so we'll know if she's taken there." Fornell told him.

Tony moaned and started to come around, "Tonia!" He said and groaned as he opened his eyes.

Slowly he focused on the room he was in and suddenly he tried to get out of the bed.

"G...Gibbs!"Tony stuttered. "Where... What happened was I shot?" he asked.

"What do you remember?" Gibbs asked concerned.

"I'm not sure, were we on a case? Why is Fornell here?" Tony asked.

"Just rest?" Gibbs said and motioned Fornell out into the hall.

* * *

"What's up with DiNutso?" Fornell asked when they were out in the hall.

"I think the bump on his head affected him more than normal." Gibbs told him.

"This might work to our advantage." Fornell said.

Gibbs looked confused "How?" he asked.

"If we ask him about Senior in this state he might give away more than he would normally."

Gibb thought about it, he didn't want to use his senior field agent like that but he also knew how guarded DiNozzo was and this would be the perfect opportunity especially as the doctors had pumped him full of pain relief while he was unconscious.

"Let me." Gibbs said if DiNozzo was going to go crazy he would be the one to take the fall out.

He walked back in the room and sat by Tony's bed.

"Do you remember why you were shot?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head trying to think what had happened, "No." He admitted.

"What do you know about the Colomba family?" Gibbs asked again.

Tony paled and shifted position. "I...I don't know anything."

"You can tell me anything, you know." Gibbs told him.

"Omerta!" Tony said under his breath.

"What?" Gibbs said.

"I suppose it's like the Godfather, you know the Francis Ford Coppella movie," Tony smirked deflecting the question.

"Tony, you know you're safe here, don't you?" Gibb told him.

Tony laughed a cold laugh, "I'm never safe, and if I relax I'm dead." He said wearily. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, "You let them give me pain relief didn't you?" He looked at Gibbs accusingly.

Gibbs nodded and watched as a look of horror crossed Tony's face followed by a flash of terror. Tony moved in the bed and curled into a ball. "What have I said?"He asked, and then looked terrified into Gibbs' eyes "OH GOD! What do you know?"

"We know about your father," Gibbs told him gently.

"I'm dead." Tony breathed.

"You'll be ok." Gibbs tried to reassure him.

"NO!" Panic gripped Tony and he tried to get up but Gibbs put his hands on his shoulders and held him fast. "You don't understand, He...I..." His eyes grew wide as he suddenly remembered, "Gibbs he's got my daughter, she tried to get out, and he'll kill her." Tony stopped and looked Gibbs right in the eye, "Please, help me save her." He begged.

"We will." Gibbs promised. "But we will need to hold you for questioning about your father and about how you lied on your application forms."

"Fine." Tony snapped "Anything just, get her back safe."

* * *

Tonia looked up from the cot she was laying on. She gingerly moved her head and feeling the pain from her jaw and her ribs decided it might be a good idea just to stay still.

"I see you're awake." Came a voice from behind her.

"Momma?" She whimpered

"Not anymore, you went to HIM, you told the FBI about us." Vittoria sneered. To her the family was everything and to think his child had betrayed them filled the woman with disgust.

"I didn't tell, I promise, I just wanted to stop killing and go to school." She pleaded.

"Well, it isn't going to happen kid, but you are going to be useful." Vittoria said coldly.

"I won't work for you." Tonia's voice shook as she stood up to her mother, tears running down her face.

"You don't have to do anything but smile." Her mother said and took pictures of Tonia. Then she took out a camcorder.

"Antonio, a gift from your father. " She panned the camera around and showed Tonia tied up and bleeding on the cot. "He wants you back. She can go but you must come and get her. It's time to come home Antonio and be the son your father groomed you to be. You have 24 hours to contact us or she dies."

"Don't do it!" Tonia screamed at the camera and Vittoria backhanded her. Then she switched the camera off.

Vittoria smiled as she put the S.D. card into an envelope and sent it to NCIS.

* * *

Gibbs sat at his desk and kept looking towards Director Vance's office.

Fornell had gone in with Tony five minutes ago and Vance had ordered him out of the office while Fornell filled him in on some of the classified FBI investigation.

To say Vance was annoyed was the world's biggest understatement, but he had prided himself on being the only one not to trust Tony when he had become director. He had trusted his gut and sent DiNozzo as far away as he had been able to. He just wished Gibbs hadn't fought so hard to get him back.

Tony sat with his head bowed in the office whilst Fornell and Sacks, went over what they knew.

Vance glowered at Tony, "You LET this man, your father, in my building and NEVER said who he was!"

Tony, as he had been since he'd entered the building was silent.

Vance pressed a button on his phone and a few moments later two security entered the office.

"Sir?" One of the guards said.

"Handcuff DiNozzo and take him to interrogation, oh and use the stairs." Vance sneered.

Tony gave him a defiant glare but still said nothing as he was led out.

"Until I find out how much of NCIS has been compromised by him working here, he stays downstairs." Vance told the two men.

Both men nodded and left the room, "That really sucks," Agent Sacks said. Fornell nodded and shot an apologetic look to Gibbs who watched as Tony was lead past his co workers and teammates in handcuffs.

As he past his old desk he dug his heels in as drew to a halt. He glared at Gibbs who had risen to his feet.

"I trusted you," He spat, "If he hurts her, I'll kill him, then you."

The team were shocked they had never seen Tony so full of hatred

The security guard shoved him roughly in between his shoulder blades and Tony fell forward and was dragged to the elevator.

Vance walked down the stairs and Gibbs was immediately in his face.

"What did you tell him?" He demanded.

"Gibbs, we arrest murderers, we don't rescue them. I want to know every single piece of information DiNozzo has had access to since he started here, I want to know what he told them." Vance ordered.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Tony sat in interrogation as mad as hell.

He had wanted to trust Gibbs, but when Vance had told him that Gibbs wouldn't be helping to get his daughter back all the trust he'd garnered in the man had just disappeared.

More than that he was mad at himself, He'd stayed in one place too long and had allowed himself to become too comfortable. "Stupid!" he said aloud to himself. Finding the cuffs annoying he took them off and threw them on the table. He heard the muffled sounds of panic from the techs next door as they rushed to let someone know what he'd done, but he wasn't stupid enough to even try and escape from down here. He knew better.

He ran a hand over his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired and the stubble made him look slightly insane. He smiled at the thought.

* * *

Just then Gibbs walked in.

"Find something funny DiNozzo." He growled.

"No Boss." Tony replied automatically.

"Good," Gibbs said as he dropped a thick file on the desk. "OK so I suppose I should call you Colomba." He started.

Tony's demeanor changed instantly and that look of hatred was back.

"Don't EVER call me that." He spat.

"It's your name." Gibbs pushed

"IT'S HIS NAME NOT MINE!" Tony yelled. "I'M NOT HIM!"

Gibbs smiled. Which shocked Tony and he sat back down. "Good." Was all Gibbs said.

"Tell me about you." Gibbs asked.

"Boss?" Tony asked confused.

"Convince me I've had Tony DiNozzo working for me and not some undercover Mafia hood. Trying to steal government secrets."

"I'd NEVER..." Tony was stunned. He took a deep breath and realized for the first time since he was twelve he'd have to tell the entire truth.

"I didn't ask to be born," Tony started he looked up at Gibbs, "I had no idea who my father was until after my mother died. She was wonderful, kind but always sad. She kept me protected from his world. Then when I was eight she was killed. I was told it was a car accident, but I found out years later it was a hit on my father but they had made a mistake."

"They?" Gibbs asked

"A rival family, probably after some revenge for something my father had done. He of course blamed me, she'd been on her way to buy me a birthday present and wanted to go alone." Tony stopped as he felt the shame and tears prick his eyes, he bit them back and took a moment.

Gibbs sat back and waited he figured he had known Tony pretty well over the years but this was the first time he had let anyone through all the wall his SFA had built up and he knew why he was being allowed to see, behind everything Tony was saying was the look of constant worry in his eyes. But the worry wasn't for him, it was for his daughter.

"I was eleven when I found out who my father was, I was at school and a new kid started to bully me. I beat him up and his father came and cornered me after school yelling in my face."

He stopped looking ashamed at the fact he had beaten this kid. "I deserved his dad yelling at me, I was in the wrong... My father had him killed."

Tony waited as he watched Gibbs take the information in. Then he gave a resigned laugh, "You know it wasn't to protect me, It was to protect his image,"

Tony made air quotes "'NO SON OF MINE WILL BE TREATED WITH DISRESPECT!' my father said while beating me for letting this kid live, I was supposed to know better."

Tony looked Gibbs in the eye, "I have NEVER and will never kill anyone for my father. The next week he sent me to military school and made me use the surname DiNozzo," Tony smirked, "The BEST thing my fathers ever done for me."

"What about the times your father has been in the building?" Gibbs asked.

"That was usually just to remind me I couldn't get too far away and he could get to me anytime he wanted," Tony admitted, "I couldn't tell you that would have been admitting to what...who, he was. He would always remind me that Tonia's life depended on me keeping my mouth shut."

* * *

"So he had kidnapped her?" Gibbs asked trying to get something he could use to help.

But Tony shook his head, "Vittoria never wanted her, but she's a good Catholic so no abortion, which I was grateful for." He smiled remembering when Tonia was born.

"Do you know what Tribute is?" Tony asked Gibbs. Hoping he wouldn't have to spell it out. But Gibbs shook his head.

"Every month each member pays the Boss a cut of any money they have made and any side deals. Father wouldn't let me out of my Tribute, but I wasn't there to pay so he insisted on keeping her. Vittoria gladly agreed to it, legally she was never taken from her mother, I...I couldn't stop them."

Gibbs looked shocked, but didn't say anything.

"If I had tried to take her they would have killed her and when father found out about how highly I thought of the team, he added them to the threat of silence as well. I was allowed to see her for a hour on her birthday each year, its on the 11th march, That's what I do when I used to take that day off every year, I only ever missed one, when I was Agent afloat."

"You could have trusted me," Gibbs said simply.

"I told my Captain in Peoria, my first year as a detective. We started an investigation, two weeks later he and his family were dead and I was sent a picture of Tonia asleep with a gun to her head, she was only three years old Gibbs! They died because I told the truth." Tony cried openly and Gibbs felt his heart break at the pain Tony had been through.

Tony wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, "Once he finds out I've told you he'll kill you too."

"Do you trust me Tony?" Gibbs asked, Tony's head shot up confused. "I...Yes?"

"I believe you." Gibbs said simply and he turned to the mirror, "And so should you, Give me my SFA back and let us catch this guy."

* * *

Tony looked confused. Then the door knocked and Vance walked in.

"Tony...I believe you to, I'm sorry. We will help you find your daughter," Vance had kids and hearing about what had happened to Tony had slipped past his defenses. "Do you have any information that can help?" He asked.

Tony let out the first genuine smile they had ever seen. "DO I!" He got up and they followed him to his desk. He pulled out a locked box from his bottom drawer and took a small silver key from around his neck.

"Here McGeek, Have fun." He tossed about 30 USB drives from the box onto the desk.

"Boss?" McGee looked confused and Vance and Gibbs looked at Tony.

"It's all the dirt I've managed to gather on the Colomba family business since I was 12 one USB drive for each year. You've got pictures, contacts, account information, business deals hopefully everything to take him down and keep him away from me forever." Vance leant against Gibb's desk stunned.

"The Feds'll have a field day with this." Vance said.

"Nope, these are my personal files and I'm giving them to you only. Until Tonia's safe the FBI don't get these, that's my deal." Tony said squaring up to Vance.

"Very well." The Director agreed, "In that case welcome back Agent DiNozzo...It is still DiNozzo?"

"YES SIR." Tony said vehemently.

Vance nodded and turned to Gibbs, "Work on this and find the girl." He said and left.

* * *

Tony sat back at his desk and opened his mail.

He picked up a brown jiffy bag and opened it and tipped out the S.D card that was inside there. There was no note, just the word Antonio written in red sharpie on the card.

"B...BOSS," Tony held up the S.D card and McGee took it from him.

"On the plasma," Gibbs told his youngest agent.

"On it." Tim said and started playing the message.

After the message had been played they all turned to Tony, who was sitting ashen faced at his desk.

"Boss, I have to go home."Tony said.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs turned to Tony and could see how worn out he was over this.

"Fine, but take McGee with you, get some sleep we'll get the S.D. card analyzed and call you if anything comes up"

Tony nodded wearily and pick up his bag. As the entered the elevator Tony turned to Tim, "I need to pop in and see Abby for a moment before we go." He said and Tim nodded.

As they entered Abby's Lab they were assaulted first by the sound of Velvet Revolver playing at full blast on her sound system and secondly by Abby who came flying at Tony and gave him a hug, "Tony, I'm so glad they believed you, "

"Thanks Abby, Listen I need a favor. Gibbs has ordered me home and I really need to rest, but I keep getting nightmares, I don't wanna tell Ducky, have you got anything that'll knock me out for at least a couple of hours with no side effects?" He asked hopefully.

Abby smiled at the fact that she could finally do something to help her friend.

"Sure," She reached into her draw "have two of these; you'll sleep deeply for about four hours. I hope it helps." She added as she handed him two blue pills.

Tony gave her a bone crushing hug, "Thanks for all your help Abby, I love you," He gave her a peck on the cheek and turned around and went to find Tim.

He found him outside the elevator, "You ready?" Tim asked.

"Sure, I hope you're driving, I don't exactly have a car right now," Tony joked.

"Yeah, I'm sure you sold it just so you could ride in my new Porsche." McGee grinned as they walked to his car and Tony's jaw dropped.

"WOW! That's...yours?" He said looking at Tim's new Boxster S.

"Yeah, and NO you CAN'T drive." Tony shrugged and got in the car. He was totally overwhelmed the McGee would drive something with so much style.

"Wow I need to start writing books," Tony said seriously impressed.

"You can't...you've got no imagination." Tim smirked at him and Tony grinned back.

* * *

They pulled up outside Tony's apartment and Tim grabbed his Go bag and they went inside.

"Hungry?" Tony asked as he ordered Pizza for them both.

Tim nodded.

Tony went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers before he took them in the living room he put the two blue pills into one bottle.

"Beer?" He said and offered Tim the bottle with the pills in.

"Sure thanks, just the one though." Tim told him,

Halfway through his first slice of pizza Tim's eyes started getting heavy; Tony sat watching him and not saying anything as he fell asleep. As he finally succumbed to the medication Tony put a blanket over him and laid him gently on the couch.

"Sorry Tim," He said quietly and fished in Tim's jacket pocket for his car keys.

Then he wrote a note.

* * *

Hey boss, by the time you get this I'll be gone. Thanks for trusting me, but I have to give my father what he wants. If as I think he might, he finally kills me can you please look after Tonia, don't let them keep her. She deserves a chance to go to school and make something with her life. You have been 1000% a better father to me over the years than he'll ever be, you helped me see what a family should be like, please show Tonia she needs to know family means having someone who loves her not someone who'll use her for their own ends. I know I am a better person for knowing you and I just hope you'll forgive me. Tony.

P.S. Don't blame Tim, I drugged him, He'll be fine in about 4 hours. And Tim I'm sorry about stealing your car, I'll leave it outside my father's house, if I don't make it back you can come and get it. (Take back up!)

Tony put the letter on the table and went to get changed.

Ten minutes later dressed in a crisp new Armani suit he left the building and got in McGee's Porsche and drove off towards New York.

* * *

Gibbs pulled up outside Tony's apartment and was annoyed to see Tim's car not there, He picked up his cell and called Tim. Even more annoyed to get his service he left a message, "I'm outside Tony's you two had better not be at a bar," He shut the phone off and went upstairs figuring he'd wait till they got home.

He still had his key to Tony's apartment so he quickly used it and walked to the living room and was surprised to see McGee asleep on the couch. He turned and walked to Tony's room to see if his SFA was asleep as well. He knocked and gently opened the door as he got no answer.

"SHIT!" He swore as he realized Tony wasn't in the apartment. He turned and ran to the living room, "MCGEE!" He yelled fully expecting to scare the life out of his junior agent. But he didn't move, Gibbs knelt down and checked his pulse. Relieved at finding one he grabbed his cell and called Ducky to come over. Then he saw the note.

"Oh, Tony!" Gibbs said when he read the note. He made another call to Ziva, "David, I need you to put out a BOLO on McGee's car, Do not apprehend just inform us of its whereabouts."

"Is McGee ok Gibbs?" she asked,

"He's sleeping like a baby, but Tony's headed to find his father. Keep me updated."Gibbs shut the phone down.

Ducky knocked on the door.

"Jethro, is Tony ok?" The M.E asked.

"I'm sure HE'S fine," Gibbs clipped out, "He drugged McGee, did you give Tony any sedatives?" He asked. Ducky shook his head, "No I haven't seen him." He admitted.

Gibbs picked his cell up again and called the only other person he knew Tony trusted, "Hey Abbs, Did you see Tony earlier?" He waited as she told him about Tony's visit and how he was a bit withdrawn as he left. "Thanks Abbs," He closed up his cell and informed Ducky of the medication Abby had given Tony.

"Ah, he'll be fine but we won't be able to wake him for a few hours and it seems Anthony made him very comfortable before he left, It would be prudent to just leave him here to sleep it off, no need to take him to hospital Jethro." Ducky said.

"Can you stay with him Duck, I have to find Tony" Gibbs said and left as Ducky agreed to stay with McGee.

"Gibbs." He said as his cell rang. "Where, thanks...I'll head out after him and keep you updated, call Fornell and get him to head there as well but to wait for me." He shut the phone off and got in his car and headed towards New York.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony put the top down on Tim's Porsche and hit the gas, if he was going to go to his death at least he figured he was going in style.

He hoped, when Gibbs got the letter he wouldn't hold any of his actions against him and that he would raise Tonia. He knew that waiting for Vance to make a decision would be too late. Although his father had given him 24 hours to contact him in reality he had about 12 as NO ONE kept Senior waiting EVER.

The one thing nagging him in his mind was he had past at least three highway patrol vehicles and hadn't been pulled over and yet he knew he was breaking the limit.

Three and a half hours later he pulled Tim's car up to a set of Iron gates. He looked at the vans parked outside and allowed himself a grim smile knowing that the pictures of him now would be the last ones Gibbs would probably see.

A part of him wanted to turn tail and run, this had been ingrained in him since childhood and the house scared the life out of him, the one thing that kept him going, was that he knew Tonia was in there and he had to get her out.

* * *

He stepped out of the car and over to the low level thug that Senior had guarding the gate.

"What do you want, This is a private estate?" The thug said out of habit.

Tony slipped into the role that his father would expect of him and backhanded the guard. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He snarled.

"N...No?" The thug said

"I'm on the list Antonio Colomba," Tony said inwardly wincing at using the name.

"You ain't the Boss." The thug got some of his courage back.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Junior!" He sighed.

"I...I'm sorry Sir," He said actually scared,

"Don't apologize," Tony said automatically and felt the corners of his mouth go up a little.

"S...Sir the main house will be sending someone down, They have asked that you leave your weapons here," He said.

Tony nodded and handed over his gun and knife. But kept a hold of his badge, after all he reasoned they'd probably need a way to identify the body.

He looked up in surprize as his father came down the path, for a second a grin plastered his face as he imagined all the scrambling from the Feds in the vans watching him at them actually getting a look at his father in the flesh. He also knew his father did nothing without an ulterior motive.

His father opened his arms widely and enveloped him in a hug.

"Make this look good or she's dead before you get to the house," Senior hissed in his ear.

"Padre Buongiorno, bello essere a casa." Tony said straightening up and giving what he knew to Gibbs would be a fake smile

" è bello riaverti con la vostra famiglia." Senior said and turned and led his son up the path.

Tony felt himself tense as his father put his hand on his shoulder but followed him up anyway, giving one last scared look behind him and a longing look at the sky before he entered the house.

* * *

Gibbs pulled up at the house two hours later with Fornell.

They got out and walked up to one of the vans outside the complex that housed the permanent contingent of Feds that were watching the house.

Fornell flashed his badge and he and Gibbs were ushered inside.

"Have there been any visitors today?" Fornell asked.

A Blonde female FBI agent looked up at Fornell excitedly, "We actually have the son on tape, and no one has ever had footage of him before."

"Let me see." Gibbs growled.

The agent looked at Fornell for an ok before she showed him the footage.

"Oh, Tony..." Gibbs said, "Fornell did you see that he's given up. We've got to get him out of there."

Fornell turned to the other agents in the van, "You?" He asked, the blonde female agent looked at him, "Agent Sydney Way Sir," She said. "Make one copy of this footage and then erase it, give it to Special Agent Gibbs."

Agent Way looked surprised but did what she was ordered to do, "We are about to launch a rescue mission, our objective is to get that man and his daughter out of the complex in one piece" Gibbs told them.

The other agents looked up at this, "We are rescuing a hood?" one of the men said.

"HE IS A NCIS AGENT, NOT A HOOD!" Gibbs shouted his patience threatening to snap, Fornell rolled his eyes and grabbed a coffee off one of the other agents.

"Jethro, drink this and give us a moment," Fornell said pushing the coffee in his hand and shoving him out of the van door.

Fornell explained the situation as best as he could while Gibbs used the time by calling his team and letting them know what was going on.

* * *

Back at the house, as soon as the doors closed Seniors' demeanor changed and he backhanded his son and sent him sprawling over the floor.

"I'm here like you asked," Tony said spitting blood from his mouth and wiping it with his arm, "Now let her go."

"I am if nothing else a man of my word." Senior said, "VITTORIA!" he yelled and after a few moments she came up from the basement.

"Yes sir?" She said her eyes flicking to Tony with disgust and then back to his father.

"We are done with Tonia now, throw her out." He said. A few moments later two of Seniors men came up dragging a practically lifeless kid between them.

"TONIA!" Tony yelled trying to get to her.

"Dad?" she whimpered trying to get to him.

Senior stepped between them, "When you've finished with her take her to the gate and when she's off my premises shoot her." He said to the men, Tony got up and ran for his father, "NO!" he screamed.

Vittoria took out her gun and shot Tony in the leg and he went down hard but still trying to get to Tonia. Senior laughed and kicked him, "You worthless piece of trash, you can't save her and you can't save yourself either. If you hadn't ruined my Vittoria with your disgusting spawn I'd have been rid of you earlier, only her usefulness kept you both alive. Now that your bosses know who you are you are of no use to me." Senior spat and Tony felt his whole world collapse.

Laying there and watching them throw away his child broke him. He realized he should have trusted Gibbs and asked him to go with him, his last remaining shred of hope was that the Feds outside could save her before they killed her.

At the same time he realized that even though he had hated his father a part of him had still hoped for some shred of approval or acknowledgement that he had actually been more than a tax break for the old man. The last piece of Antonio Colomba junior that had loved his father, died there and then.

Two other men turned up and Senior said, "Take this trash to the basement, Vittoria honey if you could extract all the useful information he has then maybe he won't have been a complete waste of my life." Vittoria smiled and gave Senior a peck on the cheek, "For you I will get ever piece of information he's ever learnt. I take it I may use my usual methods." She looked at him and he nodded.

"Just make sure you have it all before you dispose of him." Senior smiled and walked away with a relieved sigh, finally he'd be rid of the brat. It had been a long time coming.

* * *

Tim had woken up to find out that Gibbs had gone to New York to bring Tony back and that his car had been stolen. He sat up rapidly as Ducky tried to calm him down.

"Timothy, please you need to relax and breathe." Ducky said.

"Breathe! He stole my car, Ducky; I'm going to New York to save his ass just so I can KILL HIM!" Tim stormed out of Tony's apartment and called Ziva.

"Airport, Half an hour," He said and put the phone down.

Exactly half an hour later Ziva pulled up outside Ronald Reagan National Airport and met McGee at check in. "What are we doing here?" She asked.

"Tony needs back up, so I've got us 2 first class tickets to JFK we can be there in and hour and a half" He told her.

She nodded and pulled out her I.D. and their badges which enabled them to carry their weapons onto the plane.

As they settled in Ziva turned to Tim, "were these seats not expensive?" she asked.

Tim shrugged "Used my gold card. I swear when we get there and save him, I'm gonna kill him for stealing my car, I just hope it's in one piece."

"You mean you hope he's in one piece?" Ziva admonished him.

"Yeah, Ziva that's EXACTLY what I mean!" Tim said. Although he did hope Tony was ok.

* * *

Ziva and Tim turned up just as Gibbs was being bundled out of the van by Fornell.

"What are you two doing here?" Gibbs asked seeing his two agents arriving.

"we figured you could use the back up Boss." McGee said

"Good." Gibbs said, really pleased they had turned up and at least he could see for himself that McGee was feeling better.

They both looked towards the gates as Fornell got out of the van, "We've got movement at the main house." He said.

They ran towards the main gate as two men threw a body onto the pavement.

"It's all yours," The called and laughed as they walked back to the house.

"Tony!" Yelled Ziva, and ran towards the figure curled in a ball.

Gibbs bent down, "Tonia?" he said quietly and touched her head, he pulled his hand back as she flinched and tried to get away. "Ziva call an ambulance." He said to her.

"on its way Boss," She said.

"Gibbs... Dad needs... you, Poppa is going... to kill him." Tonia said then she passed out.

Gibbs stroked her hair, "Don't worry, I'll get him," he whispered in her ear.


	9. Chapter 9

For two days Tony had hung in the basement by his wrists while his father had come in occasionally trying to find out if the FBI or NCIS had any information on his businesses, and what if anything Tony knew that could be interesting to the family.

In between these visits Vittoria came in and 'spent time' with Tony. Playing with her favourite toys which where a whip and a cattle prod and a dull knife. As a result Tony looked and felt like death.

As Vittoria came down on the third day she pulled Tony's head up by his hair. "You still believe that this Gibbs is going to come and save you?" She asked mockingly.

He tried to answer but couldn't make a coherent word so all she heard was a moan.

"He left right after we took the trash out." She said. "He hasn't been back. He's given up on you. You should listen to your father; prove you are worth something by telling us what you know." She baited him, she knew right now he couldn't speak and decided on another tactic.

She lifted him from the hook in the ceiling and gently lowered him to the cot in the corner. She placed his head lovingly in her lap and carded her fingers through his hair. "Tony...Tony, you can talk to me, I only behaved that was because your father was watching, I know how much you care for me, what we were to each other, just tell me what I need to know and I can get you away from here, we could be a real family, you me and Tonia." She kissed him and he spat at her. But she looked triumphant at the tears rolling down his face, "Your father wants to talk to you later," She hissed, "You'd better have something to say."

"You know it's your fault Tonia is dead, if you hadn't contacted her or come back here she would have been fine, you think I'm a monster...you killed your child." She sneered at him.

She threw him back onto the cot and walked out with a grin as he curled himself into a ball and sobbed.

* * *

Gibbs sat in a hospital room by Tonia's bedside, she was still unconscious and he looked up as Fornell walked in.

"Have we got the go ahead to move in yet?" Gibbs growled.

"Should be good to go this evening, the information DiNutso has given us is invaluable, we have the warrants just waiting on the manpower." Fornell said. "How is she?" he asked.

"She has a fractured skull and two broken legs a broken arm and multiple contusions." Gibbs told him. "They all but killed her."

"How on earth did Tony turn out to be the kind of guy he is growing up in a home like that?" Fornell asked stunned.

"From what I hear, his mother shaped who he was until he was 8 and his father just ignored him," Gibbs said, He looked down at the broken child in front of him, "I hope to God that ignoring him was all Senior did to him." He said quietly.

* * *

He walked outside the door with Fornell, "So what's taking so long with getting him back?" Gibbs asked him.

"Abby was decrypting Tony's files we found out who at the FBI was giving Senior the information, If we were to get Tony back in one piece we had to take the agent out first."

"Who was it," Gibbs demanded, Fornell looked him in the eye, "Agent Quinn, LCN Task force."

"You arrested him I hope," Gibbs said and Fornell shook his head, "Quinn committed suicide this morning with a note to his boss to protect his family from Senior."

"Son of a..." Gibbs breathed, "I wish Tony had told us about him sooner, "

"Jethro, from what we have from Tony's files, Senior is the most ruthless Mob Boss we've seen, no one crosses him and lives. It's all Tony's fault that they died; someone should have killed that SOB years ago." Fornell looked at Gibbs as this information sank in "You do mean Senior don't you?"Gibbs demanded, "HELL YES!" Fornell replied and Gibbs silently prayed that Tony would be alive by the time they got there.

* * *

Agent Way looked over at the two NCIS Agents, She was concerned at the worry in their faces, neither had slept in the 3 days they had been here and McGee had been over every piece of audio that they had from the house twice, pausing to wipe a stray tear when they heard Tony's screams filter up to the rest of the house from the basement.

Ziva sat next to him looking just as haggard, she tugged on McGee's arm as they heard Vittoria's voice come over the speakers from Senior's office.

"Sir, I don't think he had much time left." She said and they heard her pull up a chair.

"Has he given us any useful information?" Senior asked.

"Nothing, I've tried everything, he won't tell us anything that he's learnt from his time in NCIS or any of the computer pass codes."

"Useless whelp he should have died the first time I tried to kill him, I always told him he was a mistake, the only useful contribution he made was to help you to create Tonia, my best assassin, and then he corrupted that to, the boy is nothing more than a disease that should have been eradicated years ago, I now have his mothers money so there is no need to keep it alive." Senior said.

"Please Sir, Let me get a few more hours out of him, he is almost totally broken, I just need to get rid of his last hope that Gibbs will save him," Vittoria said.

"I'm proud of you child, you allowed it to sleep with you for the family to try and bring him back into the fold, when that didn't work you kept his whelp for us to terrorize him with and I think it would be only justice if you were the one to kill him." Senior smiled at her his eyes full of pride. "Allow me the satisfaction of seeing his corpse when you're finished my dear."

"Yes sir," She said and left the room.

* * *

Ten minutes later Vittoria walked down to the basement with her arms full of pictures which she carefully place around the room.

"Wake up!" She kicked Tony and he opened his eyes.

"See these," She pointed to the photos "We took out Gibbs this morning that's his body and that next to him is Tonia." Tony's eyes widened in terror, "I have some audio for you to." She smiled, and played the digital recording, it was Fornell's voice, "It's all Tony's fault that they died; someone should have killed that SOB years ago."

For Tony, that was it, Gibbs was dead and Tonia was dead, there was no reason to fight anymore. He curled back into a ball and let out a howl of anguish.

Upstairs Senior smiled in satisfaction, outside in an unmarked van the two NCIS agents listened in horror to the sound their friend had just made.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Fornell and Gibbs pulled up out of sight of the main house as the swat teams turned up.

Fornell took charge of the operation and briefed the men, "Ok heres the situation, we have a captive NCIS agent in the house possibly in the basement area. We have enough information to take out Colomba and the rest of the 'family', lethal force is authorized only if necessary." He said.

He looked up as a few paramedics turned up, Gibbs walked over to them, "We need one team to come in right behind SWAT." He said and 2 paramedics volunteered.

"McGee, David!" Gibbs called and the came up to him, "we are going in with the first wave, we will head to the basement, our only objective is to bring our boy home." The other two nodded and put on their vests.

Then they headed for the main gates.

* * *

Vittoria headed to Senior's study, she smiled as she entered, "Did you hear him." She asked as she sat down.

Senior nodded "I take it you have finished with it." He sneered, "I'll have Mario finish him off and dump him. You know I'm feeling nostalgic; maybe we should dump his body near his mothers. You know the boy always thought a rival family killed her."

"They didn't?" Vittoria asked.

"Of course not, she took my son and left me with this...this thing. All kind and caring, I couldn't make a Boss out of that. She corrupted him, she had to pay." He said simply.

Vittoria shrugged, in her mind she could see why Senior had done what he had, the family was sacrosanct and nothing should be allowed to even come near destroying it.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as the main door was battered down and shouts of FBI and Gunfire where heard. "Sir we have to get away!" Vittoria said just as the study door was kicked open.

Vittoria raised her gun at the FBI agents and fired.

Agent Way shot her and she collapsed on the floor. Senior raised his arms and surrendered. As she went down Vittoria looked into Senior's eyes and said, "We still won, he's broken." She coughed up some blood and Senior let a tear fall as he watched her die.

He looked at Agent Way, "You will die for this." He spat.

She smiled at him, "Thank you, threatening a federal agent will help bulk out your list of charges." She said sarcastically as she cuffed him.

* * *

Ziva took point into the basement, "Clear!" she called and the others followed her she let her eyes get accustomed to the gloom and realized there was someone there, "GIBBS I'VE FOUND HIM!" she called. With McGee and Gibbs close behind she walked up to Tony's battered body.

"Is he alive?" Tim asked hesitantly.

Ziva reached out to check his pulse as she touched him he flinched and backed into the corner.

"Tony, its us you're safe." Ziva said

"No, no, no, no more please!" he begged. Ziva picked up a blanket and gently draped it over his shoulders.

"Tony, you're safe, we got them." Gibbs told him, "Time to come home now."

Tony heard Gibb's voice looked up and screamed.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." He kept mumbling rocking backwards and forwards holding himself in a ball, tears falling unabashed from his eyes.

Gibbs looked up at the paramedics, "Can you sedate him?" He asked them.

The paramedic injected him and Tony calmed down, "We need to get him to hospital," He said.

Gibbs nodded, "Ziva, McGee process the scene, Help out Fornell. I'm going with Tony."

* * *

Gibbs sat next to Tony's bed. They had fixed up his contusions after needing to sedate him; Gibbs had almost lost it when the doctors had started working on him. Every time one of them had touched him he'd screamed in the end they put him into a medically induced coma just to be able to fix everything that had happened to him.

He listened to the monitors tracking Tony's heart rate and had to keep reminding himself he was alive. He had already popped next door where Tonia was and had checked on her, it was now a race to see which one regained consciousness first.

For the third day in a row Gibb's eyelids started to droop as Fornell brought him in another coffee.

"Thirsty?" Fornell asked.

Gibbs nodded and reached out for the hot liquid turning back to Tony he nearly dropped it as he realized Tony's eyes were wide open. He placed the cup on the cabinet beside him and bent over Tony.

"Tony...Can you hear me?" He begged.

Tony never said a word but stared into space the only reaction from him were tears steadily leaking from the corners of his eyes at the sound of Gibb's voice.

Fornell got the Doctor who came and checked Tony out.

"Tony, I'm your doctor, Doctor Marsters. Can you follow this light for me?" He asked. But Tony didn't move.

Then he turned to the doctor and stared intently in his eyes. "Kill me Doc, I'm seeing ghosts." He begged.

The doctor smiled, "No your not," He said kindly.

"They're all gone, I don't want to be here any more, I don't deserve to be here anymore." He said quietly.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs lightly Headslapped him.

"B...Boss?" Tony finally focused on him, Gibbs smiled up at him, "I'm not dead DiNozzo,"

"She...said, I saw..." Tony trailed off as another thought hit him, "Oh God!" He breathed and turned his face away as a wave of grief washed over him.

"Tony?" Gibbs said gently trying to work out what was going through his mind.

Tony turned to face the wall and just blanked him.

"Tony talk to me?" Gibbs knew the only way for Tony to get through this was to talk. Right now anything would be preferable to the grief and pain washing over him.

" 'S my fault," Tony murmured "Should be dead."

"WHY!" Gibbs demanded turning Tony's head to look at him.

"Fornell said, my fault...I'm worthless, should have been killed years ago," Tony looked at Gibbs with dead eyes. There was no emotion left in him.

"When did he say that?" Gibbs was confused, He'd been with Fornell all the time and hadn't heard him say anything.

"She...I heard it...she played it." Tony grabbed his I.V. and pulled it out, "Get out! I don't want to hear it I'm done."

A nurse came running in and tried to put the I.V. back in.

Tony pulled away "NO! Don't you get it, I don't want to recover, What the Hell have I got left to live for."

He turned away again and Gibbs walked out of the room.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Ziva and McGee turned up at the hospital; they walked up to Gibbs, who was having an animated conversation with a doctor. He stopped as they walked up. "Go see him; I don't want him left alone." Gibbs told them.

"What do you mean I can't take him to see her?" Gibbs said to Dr. Marsters.

"I don't think moving him right now will aid in his recovery." Dr. Marsters said.

"Listen, I know Tony and right now he thinks he has nothing to live for, and I know that me telling him is daughter is alive won't cut it he's going to have to see her." Gibbs argued.

"Fine we'll give you a wheelchair, but a Nurse must be with you at all times," The doctor relented.

Gibbs nodded and went back to Tony's room.

* * *

Tony was still staring at the wall and not acknowledging Ziva or Tim in anyway.

Gibbs put the side of the bed down, "Come one Tony," he said slowly lifting him up, "Someone needs you."

"No one needs me, I'm worthless." Tony mumbled.

Gibbs lightly Headslapped him, "You are essential." He said cryptically pushing him to the room next door.

Tony sat in the wheelchair looking at his feet, "She needs you." Gibbs said quietly and he wheeled him up to Tonia's bed.

Tony slowly lifted his eyes and shakily reached out with his hand as if afraid that if he touched her she would disappear. "Gibbs is...is she real?" He asked haltingly. "She's alive?"He couldn't quite believe it.

"Yeah, She's healing well according to her doctors, she's in a medically induced coma because of the pain they should be waking her up later this week, but she needs her father Tony, she's gonna need you." Gibbs put his hand on Tony's shoulder and felt him pull himself up as small seeds of hope and determination started to blossom in his chest.

Tony looked Gibbs in the eye, "Boss... help me?" He whispered, "I need to be her father I can't lose her again."

"We will all be with you Tony." Gibbs promised. He turned and took Tony back to his room. "He'll cooperate with you know" He told the nurse as Tony sat there and allowed the nurse to reinstall his I.V.

* * *

Senior sat in his cell waiting to be taken to court for a bail hearing.

He was livid, His precious Vittoria was dead, the Feds had taken the boy and now because of him, the whole family empire would be taken down. He leaned over towards a guard and called him over.

Twenty minutes later his plan was complete, those who needed to be would be bribed, those who were not important would be 'taken care of' but most importantly, he had managed to make a phone call and his brother Vincent was in place to deal with the boy.

Senior sat back on his cot and smiled.

* * *

Half an hour later they sat in court and Senior looked at Gianni DiNozzo as they waited for the judge to come in. Senior Smiled at Fornell who sat two rows back behind the prosecutor.

Fornell shivered, He looked at the man who had fathered on of the best federal agents he'd ever worked with and yet again it stumped him as to how these two people shared the same gene pool.

As the judge heard the prosecutor's plea for keeping Senior in Jail, Fornell began to grow uneasy.

Senior was far too happy and didn't seem to be concerned at all about the upcoming trial.

"Bail is set at one million dollars." The judge said.

"But your Honor," The prosecutor tried to argue as the judge waved him away, Senior shot a smile at the judge and Fornell figured he was probably on Senior's payroll.

As Fornell turned to leave Senior's lawyer called him over. "Agent Fornell," He called.

"Mr. DiNozzo." Fornell said with a straight face giving away none of the anger he felt.

"My client, Mr. Colomba Sr, wanted to ask you if you could pass a message to his son." The ageing lawyer asked. "Just tell him, he'll see him soon."

More than anything else Fornell wanted to tell them both to go to hell and he was willing to help them get there, but not wanting to prejudice the case he merely nodded tight lipped and walked away.

* * *

By the time Fornell made it back to the hospital with four more agents Tony was asleep and even Gibbs was starting to doze off.

"Hey," Fornell said quietly as he stuck his head around the door and motioned for Gibbs to follow him outside.

"How did court go?" Gibbs asked, he had been concerned when Fornell hadn't called him after the hearing and now seeing the extra agents his gut started churning.

"Got bail at a million, he's out now."Fornell looked Gibbs right in the eye and mentally prepared himself for the backlash.

Gibbs took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face, "Fuck!" he said under his breath, "Tony's been through enough, Tobias. I take it that's why the extra agents are here?"

Fornell nodded, "Gotta keep our star witnesses alive."He sent Gibbs an apologetic smile. "You gonna tell your boy or shall I?"

"I'll tell him in the morning, Tobias. I'm gonna let him sleep now, he needs it." Gibbs looked at Fornell remembering something Tony had said. "You're going to have to talk to him to. Apparently Vittoria recorded the comment you made about Senior and played it to Tony saying I was dead and that's what you thought of him, you need to set him straight."

"God! No wonder he looked terrified when he saw me. I will Jethro don't worry," Fornell sat next to Gibbs on a waiting room chair. Gibbs watched the guilt cross the other mans' face.

"We will fix this Tobias." He told him as they both sat there drinking coffee and waiting for the morning.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Gibbs moved to sit next to Tony and watched as his SFA went through another silent nightmare. He gently placed a hand on his forehead, "You're safe, sleep now." He said quietly into his ear and Tony relaxed.

Soon the nurses would come in for the morning shift and when they were done and Tony had settled then Gibbs decided he would tell him about Senior.

Tony awoke and looked around the room. "Boss?" He croaked and waited as Gibbs handed him a glass of water which he carefully sipped at.

"You weren't dreaming, she is alive." Gibbs told him, he knew that would be the first thing going through his SFA's mind. When Shannon and Kelly died it was the first thing he had thought each morning although in his case it had been a dream and there had never been anyone to tell him they were alive.

"I need to see her," Tony said.

"Soon DiNozzo, we have to talk though. Now." Gibbs braced himself for what he was about to say and Tony caught the movement imperceptible as it was immediately.

"What's happened?" He asked.

"Colomba...Senior, He got bail. Fornell's got Agents protecting you and Tonia so you should be safe."

"FUCK!" Tony threw the cup of water across the room, "Will it ever be over!" he said burying his face in his hands.

"He will go to trial, we will get him." Gibbs said.

"Boss , I need my gun." Tony said sounding a lot more calmer and rational than he felt.

"You have two Agents outside your door and I'll get Ziva and McGee here too." Gibbs told him.

"Don't." Tony replied. "I don't want them here." He growled. Gibbs looked at him in confusion.

He didn't know where it had come from, he knew his SFA wore different masks like more people wore clothes but this was a new one. This was cold and mean as if something in him had just snapped.

"Move Tonia to a different room, I need her far away from me." Tony said and Gibbs caught on.

"We won't let Senior get close enough to either of you, You're not fit enough to face him on your own."

Tony swung his legs over the edge of the bed, "This isn't up for debate Gibbs, move her NOW!" he got up and went to the bathroom, all be it a bit shakily and emerged ten minutes later dressed in jeans and a T-shirt from the bag Gibbs had brought.

* * *

Gibbs walked back in the room, still silently fuming over the attitude of his SFA but totally understanding where it was coming from.

"I see you took the guns and passports out of the bag," Tony said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, Here..." Gibbs said handing over Tony's SIG. "So what's the plan." He asked.

"Clear this floor, move every thing between him and me. He's going to come here, he has to...I NEED to finish this. I..." Tony's voice trailed off as he lapsed into thought.

"OK I'll have McGee hook into the security feed and we'll keep in touch, I'll have a back up team in place to arrest him." Gibbs said. Tony let one side of his mouth curl up, "Arrest him...yeah."

With Gibbs for support Tony took a walk to where they had moved Tonia to.

He leaned over and gently stroked her hair, visually checking out her injuries and mentally packing the emotions that seeing those injuries did to him.

"Hey, bambina. You rest I wont be far and I promise it'll all be over soon and you'll be going to college just like you always wanted." He gently kissed her forehead. Then he turned to Gibbs. "We need to go back."

Gibbs nodded and helped him return to his room.

* * *

They opened the door to find Senior sitting in a chair waiting for him.

Tony quickly backed up before he regained his composure.

"You're early." Tony said flatly. He moved himself between Gibbs and Senior but never took his eyes of his father.

"Tu mi costo la mia vita e il mio famiglia. Questo finisce ora!" Senior spat.

"Sì. padre, si potrà finalmente pagare per quello che hai fatto a mia madre, e mia figlia, e per mi." Tony answered back with more hatred than Gibbs had ever seen coming from his SFA.

"Colomba, you are already under charges and as much as we'd love to shoot you I think the court should have a chance to try you first." Gibbs said trying to shift both men's focus from each other.

Senior relaxed back in the chair with a smug look of satisfaction on his face.

"Vittoria died cursing you, son." He said baiting Tony.

"Good!" Tony spat, He never thought he would have hated the mother of his child but she had made it very easy to do so and knowing she had been under orders to get close to him when they were together made it just that bit easier.

"Oh and I talked to your uncle Vincent today." He smirked as a look of horror crossed Tony's face and he bolted from the room.

"Tony?" Gibbs called following him.

"Gotta get to Tonia, Vincent will kill her." He panted as he ran full pelt for her room

* * *

They pulled up outside the room just as Vincent dressed in a doctors coat came around the corner. Vincent looked up and his eye's widened as he recognized Tony, he gave a twisted smile and pulled out a gun and shot at Tony.

Tony pulled his gun and shot Vincent but not before Vincent's bullet had torn through Tony's shoulder. Tony fell back to the ground and tried pulling himself up to make sure Vincent was dead. He was, but Tony had only wounded him it was the four bullets from Gibbs' gun and Ziva and Tim's that finished him off.

The three Agents looked down at Vincent to make sure he was dead and immediately turned their attentions to Tony, who wasn't there. However a blood trail lead into Tonia's room where Tony had gone to make sure she was alright.

Gibbs walked in and put a gentle hand on Tony's shoulder.

He spun gun at the ready, "She's fine. Come on lets get you patched up."

Tony nodded and then remembered, "Shit!" He went running back down the hallway with Ziva, McGee and Gibbs on his heels.

He slid into his room to find Senior standing with Fornell holding a gun on him.

"You sent Vincent to kill Tonia?" Tony asked, trying to get his breath back.

"Don't be stupid boy, I sent him to kill YOU. Obviously the cleaner isn't up to his job anymore." Senior spat, his eyes full of hatred for Tony and disappointment that he was still alive. "She was just an appetizer to make me feel better." He smirked.

Tony launched himself at Senior his hand locking around his throat.

Fornell and Gibbs pulled Tony off while Ziva and McGee pulled Senior; Fornell slapped some handcuffs on Senior, "I'm arresting you for the attempted murder of a Federal Agent."

"He attacked me!" Senior spat.

"You should think yourself lucky I didn't kill you." Tony struggled and Gibbs pushed him out of the door.

* * *

"Stay there." He said he looked back at Fornell who nodded to indicate Senior was well in hand and then he moved Tony further down the corridor.

"You need to calm down, he just admitted to trying to have you killed. Its attempted murder it means he goes back to jail now!" Gibbs told him.

"Just for now." Tony said half heartedly. "God, Gibbs. Do you know how many times he's tried to kill me; he's probably bribed the judge he'll be out in 24 hours."

"Not this time, we have evidence from the house on tape and Fornell was still wearing his wire when Senior confessed to paying Vincent to kill you." Gibbs grinned.

"Still wearing his wire?" Tony asked.

"He wore it to court just in case Senior threatened you there, and guess what, he did!" Gibbs said.

"Good hopefully he'll go down for life." Tony said.

"With your testimony and Tonia's hopefully he will," Fornell said he took a step back as for a second Tony's eyes widened and he had to forcibly calm himself down.

"Tony, I...I don't know what she did to you but what I said," Fornell said quietly

"Yeah I know what you said. You still want me dead?" Tony asked dispassionately, "Or you going to wait until I stop being useful."

"Wait...I was talking about your father." Fornell said hoping Tony would listen to him, "He killed Agent Quinn's family and he had just had your kid beaten and tossed out like garbage."

Tony looked at him suspiciously, he didn't entirely trust Fornell but Gibbs did and no matter what he still trusted him.

He didn't totally relax but he did look Fornell in the eye, "OK I will Testify, I can't speak for Tonia, but I will ask her," He relented. "Just promise me until I have to you keep him away from me and my kid."

 


	13. Chapter 13

Tony walked away as two of Fornell's agents took Senior away and didn't look back. Gibbs followed him as he went to Tonia's room.

He sat next to her bed and stroked her hair as her doctor walked in. "How is she Doc?" Tony asked concerned.

"She's doing really well, we will be lowering her med's this afternoon so hopefully she should wake up sometime tomorrow." Dr Marsters smiled at Tony, He was really pleased at the change in the man and hoped that this would all have a good outcome. "If all goes well she should be able to go home at the weekend." He finished.

Tony smiled and Gibbs was surprised to see that the smile was a full one real one, not one of the fake one he was used to seeing on his SFA.

"Boss I need to call Abby, Can you watch over Tonia for me please?" He asked

"Sure," Gibbs said and lent him his cell.

Tony walked out into the hospital ground accompanied by his two FBI Agents that had been assigned to watch him and Tonia before the trial.

Abby was in her Lab having caught up with all her work she had just got back from having lunch with Palmer and was really missing her other family.

"Hey, Gibbs!" She said excitedly as the phone rang.

"Not Gibbs, Abs. It's Tony." He held the phone away from her ear as she squealed with delight.

"TONY!" she squealed, "How are you, I missed you tell me everything?" She said in one excited breath.

"I'm fine Abs. Tonia will be ok too, Look, I need a favor." He said.

"Anything." Abby offered her usual generosity overflowing.

"Thanks," Tony said and outlined what he wanted her to do.

She was practically bouncing as she put the phone down and started making plans for Tony and Tonia's homecoming.

* * *

Tony walked back into the hospital room and gave Gibbs his cell phone back.

"Thanks, Abs has everything in hand." He said and sat beside Tonia,

Gibbs looked inquisitively at him, but decided to say nothing.

"Any change?" Tony asked whilst stroking his daughter's forehead.

"Not yet, any idea's on when you'll be heading home?" Gibbs tried to keep the conversation light. He wanted to let Tony know that nothing for him had changed.

"Hopefully the weekend as soon as Tonia is released." He said thoughtfully. "I wonder if Vance...Boss do I still have a job, I mean, you know do I have to have a disciplinary hearing or anything?"

"Nope, I talked to him, He knows why you didn't say anything on your application forms and we know you didn't say anything to Senior, Also your record speaks for itself." Gibbs said pleased to see some of the tension leave Tony at that point.

"Great, I love my job, Boss. I really didn't want to leave, but you know I had to protect her." He said shooting a glance at Tonia.

"I know Tony; if it had been Kelly I would have done the same." Gibbs replied.

* * *

For two days Tony sat at her bedside, eating little and sleeping even less. He answered Fornell's questions and was informed that both he and Tonia were entitled to protection up until the trial as Senior had already paid one person to try and kill them and there was a chance he had ordered more hits on their lives.

"You know you should consider Witness protection." Fornell said quietly to Tony.

"Not gonna happen," Tony said stubbornly, "By some miracle, I still have my job and Tonia finally has a chance to be a kid and go to school which is the one thing she always wanted and you want me to take her and hide out...It's NOT happening." He growled being mindful to keep his voice down.

"Alright then, how about when your daughter is ready to go home with you, we assign you two Agents each and we find you a house close enough to work so you can keep your job. After the trial, depending on the outcome we will reassess." Fornell reasoned.

"Fine." Tony said. He had accepted that Fornell did have his and Tonia's best interests at heart although the pain at the words he had heard was still there, he had accepted that Fornell had been talking bout his father and not him.

Tony reached for Tonia's hand and shot Fornell a withering look as he left the room and eased a sigh of relief.

* * *

"You not dead then?" Gibbs quipped as he stuck his head back inside the door.

Tony smirked at him, "Not yet..." He replied, he was about to say more when he jumped and looked at Tonia.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"She...she moved, her hand moved ...I think she's waking up!" He said excitedly as he pressed the call button for the nurses to come in.

The nurse stuck her head around the door and Tony told her that Tonia had moved and she left to get Dr. Marsters.

As the doctor entered Tonia opened her eyes. "Dad?" She croaked.

Tony couldn't help it he looked at his daughter and wept, "Yeah, I'm here bambina. You're safe now."

Gibbs gently pulled him back by the shoulders "Let the doctor work on her." He said and they stood back.

Doctor Marsters looked Tonia over, "Can you tell me your name?" He asked.

"Tonia DiColomba." She answered

The doctor shined a light in her eyes and checked her vitals.

"You're looking ok, how do you feel?" He asked.

"Sore, but Doc? When can I get out of here?" She asked earnestly. Gibbs smiled definitely her fathers' daughter.

"Bambina, you need to heal first, just be patient." Tony said.

"A few more days I think." The doctor said as he smiled at her. "You need to keep some fluids down and eat, we will let your vitals stabilize a bit more but hopefully you'll be home by the weekend."

"Great!" she said and within moments was fast asleep again with her head on Tony's arm.

"Boss...I can't move, Can you call Abby and fill her in on Fornell plan to move us. Tell her to do like I asked but in the new house." Tony said.

Gibbs looked a bit confused but went to do as he asked while Tony settled back with his daughter, within moments they were both asleep.

* * *

Another two days past and the change in Tonia was pronounced, yes she still had three plaster casts so wasn't able to walk but she was coherent and very annoying.

"You are a lot like your father you know." Ziva told her after she quoted movie stats at her as they watched a The Birds on the TV in her room.

"Oh Come on ZEEVAH!" She whined, "How can you have never seen the birds it's a classic, and it's incredibly creepy!"

"If I had been there I would have just shot them." Ziva deadpanned and looked confused as Tonia burst into laughter.

"What did I miss?" Tony asked as he came in the room.

"Dad, Zivas' NEVER seen The Birds!" Tonia told him,

"Well I have now!" She retorted back, although she did smile as she said it.

"Ok, Ok..." Tony held up his hand in a placating gesture, "How about we discuss it on the plane ride home." He stopped as Tonia squealed.

"Really! I get to go home with you!" She smiled as tear formed in her eyes.

"Si, bambina." He grinned back at her, "Gonna fly to the city of great movies, lots of physical therapy and private catch up tuition so you can go to college after the court case."

Tonia grinned like all her Christmases had come at once. "Really! School with other kids, When daddy?"

"As soon as those casts come off and the court case is over, until then you can get better and catch up with your school work," Tony kissed her on the head, "Come on you have a plane to catch."

Gibbs came in with a wheelchair, "you ready kid?" he asked.

"AWW DAD! A WHEELCHAIR!" She moaned and rolled her eyes.

"What, you thought you were gonna fly outta here, good grief, my daughter the drama queen!" He grinned as he helped her into the chair.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

As they got off the plane they were met by more FBI agents and a wall of hugs that was Abby, with Ducky and Palmer waiting to greet them.

"Hey Abbs," Tony said protectively standing in front of Tonia as Gibbs pushed her in her wheelchair.

"Where is she do I get to meet her?" Abby asked excitedly.

"Gently Abby," Tony said and had a hand on her arm as he moved out of her way.

Tonia looked up, she knew who Abby was by her fathers' description of her and had already been warned she was a hugger, and she took a quick gulp and smiled, "Hey Abby!" She grinned as Abby face lit up.

"OH MY GOD, SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU!" Abby squealed.

"Gently Abbs," Tony said again as she leaned in for a hug, Tonia stiffened a little and looked to her father who nodded and she relaxed. "Is it all ready?" He asked her.

"Yep, here's the address and keys," She said handing them over, Tony smiled and raised an eyebrow, "You didn't decorate did you?" He asked warily.

"Nope followed instructions to the letter and left it to the decorators."She grinned, "Oh and here's the HR paperwork."

Gibbs looked at her skeptically.

"I've moved boss." Tony explained knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Abby arranged it all plus the adaptations needed for Tonia and her rehab.

They got in the car and drove to the suburbs where they pulled up to the gates of a huge house. Tony leant out of the window and keyed in a code. Then they drove up the drive to the house.

* * *

"Wow," Gibbs said actually impressed.

Tony grinned at him, "I got the FBI to release my inheritance from my mother. That way they save money and I get somewhere big enough for me and Tonia."

"It's a pretty sweet deal," Fornell said sitting in the back with Tonia. "All we have to do is pay the agents guarding them; the house has a great security system."

"Hang on Honey," Tony said as they pulled up and he got her wheelchair out of the car.

He got her set up and playfully stroked her hair as she made a face at having to sit in the thing. "Ramps?" She said as he wheeled her into the house.

"Sure the house has elevators too so you don't have to use the stairs." Tony told her.

Tonia turned to Abby excitedly. "Wanna show me my room?" She asked and Abby bounced with delight, "Can I?" she asked Tony and he nodded.

As they left Gibbs looked worried.

"You gonna be able to afford all this?" He asked

"Not a problem, Boss." He grinned, "None of this is from my fathers money, the FBI can have that, Mom kept some hidden accounts the FBI found that were for me, Lets just say I don't have to work again." Tony said.

Gibbs looked worried, "You quitting?" He asked.

"NO... I just said I don't have to work again, not that I don't want to...I love my job Boss, why do you think I didn't want Vance to fire me." Tony said and was pleased as Gibbs relaxed. "I am hoping you guys will wanna spend a lot of time here, no that I don't have to hide anything." He grinned as he showed him the blueprints for the house.

"Look it's even got a basement, WITH DOORS!" he chuckled to himself hoping his boss would catch on. "Not like I'll need more of a reason for you to spend time with your granddaughter." He ducked thinking Gibbs might headslap him for being presumptuous.

"I'd like that." Gibbs said quietly.

* * *

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Came a huge shout from upstairs which had Tony draw his gun and take the stairs two at a time with Gibbs hot on his heels.

"What's...what's wrong?" he yelled out of breath and looking around.

"My room is awesome is it all really for me?" She grinned

Tony looked furious, "ANTONIETTA SOPHIA DINOZZO! YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" He yelled.

"S...Sorry dad, I was just excited." She said. Tony rolled his eyes and gathered her into his arms and sat on the bed.

"I know princess, but considering we are under protection right now I think random screaming should be left for emergencies only don't you?" he said placating his daughter.

"Dad, you called me DiNozzo?" Tonia said confused.

He grinned, "You like?" he asked her.

"Yeah," She smiled back. "Although maybe next time you shouldn't scream it at me." She quipped.

Tony waved away the FBI Agents that had just come running up the stairs, Tony placed Tonia on the bed, "Get some rest honey, I'm going downstairs with Grandpa Gibbs." He smirked as Abby raised an eyebrow and Gibbs grinned.

Tony looked back at both girls as he stood in the doorway, "Behave." He warned, and then went downstairs.

* * *

Tony took Fornell and Gibbs into the study, "Ok so here's what's going to happen." Fornell said as they got settled.

"You will have guards on the house 24hours. Plus 2 on you and your daughter respectively."

"Not in my bullpen!" Gibbs growled.

"Just outside the Bullpen, Jethro." Fornell conceded. "Senior's trial should start in about 2 months, which gives your daughter time to recuperate."

"Yeah, She should be out of that chair by then," Tony agreed.

"The USB drives you supplied will be really helpful in putting Senior away and both your testimonies will be invaluable. Although you will have to cope with the defense attorneys trying to cut you both down."

"No problem, as long as he's put away for good." Tony said.

Fornell got up and shook his hand "Thanks for this Tony."

Tony smiled, "Hey it's my job." He smirked.

Fornell shook his head in wonder, "I you ever want to jump ship and come work for us..." He started and stopped at the glower on Gibbs face.

"So, Back to work Monday?" Gibbs said.

"Yes Boss." Tony grinned. "I actually can't wait to be back."

"Anthony!" Ducky said interrupting them, "I've just left your delightful daughters room, she's all settled and I've talked to her physical Therapist and she will be starting tomorrow. This house is excellent for her recovery, the pool and gym will be invaluable."

"Thanks Ducky, That's why I chose it," Tony admitted.

"Tony, I gave her the new mobile like you asked." Palmer said as he stood by the door waiting for Ducky.

"Good maybe she'll text me instead of screaming at me now" He smiled at his friend, "You wanna still do movie night with Breena next week?"

"Sure, I'll let you know what nights she's free." Jimmy said and headed out of the door.

Tony turned to Gibbs, "I suppose now I don't have to hide anything my movie nights will get bigger" he said and rolled his eyes.

"Ya think, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

Tony smiled; it was going to be good, just being himself for a while.

* * *

Senior sat in his jail cell fuming; again everything had gone wrong because of that boy.

His lawyer had just left and told him he was to stay here until he went to trial. He had been placed in solitary confinement and it would be at least two months before he even saw the outside world. To top it off he had been told the prosecutions case against him was damming.

He took a deep breath and sat on his bunk with his yellow legal pad and started plotting his revenge.

As his new lawyer left the building he was met by a colleague; "Hey Jack, I heard you needed a lift?"

"Thanks Tom," Jack Michaels said and practically collapsed in the seat next to his friend.

"New Client?" Tom asked, "Or annoying one.

"I've got the Colomba case." Jack admitted.

"No way, mate you're doomed," Tom said stunned.

"You know, this is one case I wouldn't mind losing, but I have to do my best to win...crap! I hate my job."

"You need a second on this?" Tom asked.

"Thomas Jackson, are you actually offering to help on a case where we may lose!" Jack asked.

Tom nodded at his friend, "Sure, either way this guys so dirty it'll make our careers' even when we lose."

They drove off laughing.

 


	15. Chapter 15

It had been two months since they had come back from New York; Tony was back at work and although there had been a few snide remarks about working with USA's most wanted ,all in all things had calmed down. Especially after Vance called the whole of NCIS into a meeting and read them the riot act.

Tonia was out of her casts and progressing well with her physical therapy and was catching up on her home schooling ready to go to school after the trial.

The biggest change was in Tony though; he had dropped most of his masks and was more open with him team and a lot less annoying.

Ziva looked up from her desk as Tony walked in on the phone.

"Sure, you can honey. Just remember to take an Agent with you and don't buy the whole store. Hang on..." He stopped and nodded hi to Ziva and handed his phone over to Tim. "Help me out here probie, the kid's after some new hard drives and computer stuff will you talk to her?"

"Sure," Tim replied and took the phone and Tony mock collapsed onto Ziva's desk.

"So Ziva how was your date last night?" He asked grinning.

"Very pleasant thank you Tony," She replied smiling. She had met an Israeli diplomat and although she wasn't sure if she was going to see him again she had enjoyed herself.

"Good, good." Tony was genuinely pleased for her. This had at first thrown her off balance thinking he was making fun of her. But now she realized he was really concerned for her well being, this was part of the new Tony she liked. Although he didn't date anymore and hadn't talked about going on a date in months, he always managed to steer the conversation around to something else when asked.

"Tony!" Tim called waving his phone, "I told her what system she needed, and I think you may need to work overtime to pay it off though." He said, neither Tim nor Ziva having been told that the house he was in was his own, nor had he told them of his inheritance. Only Vance, Gibbs and the FBI knew and that was all he needed to know.

"Thanks Tim." Tony said and sat at his desk to work on the mountain of paperwork he was still trying to catch up on from when he was away.

"DiNozzo!" Director Vance called down as he was leaving MTAC, "With me!"

Tony got up and went up the stairs into the Director's office where Gibbs and Fornell were waiting for him.

* * *

"Hey," Tony said and his grin faltered for a second as he took in everyone sitting around the conference table in the directors' office.

"DiNutso, your fathers' court proceedings started today, the D.A's office want you to be ready to appear in court from now onwards" Fornell said getting straight tot the point.

Tony sank into a seat next to Gibbs, "OK." He was guarded and waited for whatever they were going to hit him with next.

"You are being placed on administrative leave until this is over so the FBI can protect you and your daughter." Vance told him.

For a second the 'old' Tony wanted to jump up and protest, but knowing how ruthless his father was and wanting to protect not only those he worked with but his daughter as well meant that Tony just nodded.

"Anything else." Tony clipped, he tried to hide it but he was annoyed that yet again something his father had done was interfering in his life. He just wanted this case over with and his father thrown in the deepest darkest jail cell they could find.

"Fornell will accompany you home, please if there is anything you need let us know." Vance said.

"I need to be working." Tony snapped his temper flared for a second and Vance could then see how much of his father was buried beneath the surface. Tony took a breath and collected himself, "Thank you Director."

"Coming FEEBIE!" he smirked at Fornell as he left the office. Fornell shot Gibbs and Vance a look of pain and followed Tony out of the office.

* * *

Tony and Tonia stood in a room at the courthouse with Fed's outside and inside the room. Finally it was the day their testimonies were being heard. The case had grabbed media attention all over the country and today was the day that people would get to see the son of Mob Boss Antonio Colomba.

"You ok, dad?" Tonia asked.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous kiddo, if all goes ok you may not have to testify, but you do have to wait in here while I do ok?" Tony asked.

"Sure, you'll be ok you know, he can't get us now." She hugged him for morale support as he stood with a slight shake. It was the first time since the hospital he had seen his father and even though he wasn't about to admit it, it scared him.

The court room was packed to overflowing and the TV cameras took up a huge amount of space. Judge Daniels took his seat and ordered the room to silence and listened as the bailiff read the case to him. He nodded and looked at the witness sheet in front of him. Today's' sheet had only one name Antonio Colomba Jr. aka Special Agent Antony DiNozzo Jr.

'This should be interesting' he thought as he nodded to the bailiff to call the witness.

* * *

Tony took a deep breath and walked into the court room fighting the urge to run as the whole room turned to look at him. Desperately his eyes shot around the room looking for escape routes but he calmed down as his eyes locked with his Boss's who nodded encouragingly at him as he took the witness stand and swore in.

"State your full name for the record."

"Er...which one?" He asked with a nervous chuckle. The court reporter stopped and looked at the man as the judge turned to him.

"How about we start with the one your using now and then your birth name." The judge clarified gently.

Tony nodded, "Special Agent Antony DiNozzo, Jr. Although I was born Antonio Colomba Jr."

The prosecution lawyer stood up and walked towards him.

"When was the last time you went by Antonio Colomba Jr.?" She asked.

"When I was twelve, ma'am." Tony said trying to keep his nervousness under control and locking eyes with Gibbs as he was determined not to look at his father.

"Can you tell us why?" She asked.

"I found out he'd had my mother killed and who he was and I refused to go into the business with him, he wanted me to kill my bully's father and I refused. So he sent me off to military school and disowned me," Tony started picking at the wood on the ledge in front of him.

"What was your father like when you were growing up?" She asked him,

"I don't know... Disinterested, cruel, sadistic, take your pick." He said quietly, "After my mother died I started taking more notice, people would come to our house and not leave. He'd kill them and have someone dispose of the bodies; He even made me clean the blood up sometimes as a punishment."

The whole room was silent hanging on his every word, "I knew he was bad, but he was my father and at that point I still held out hope that he loved me." Tony was barely registering where he was but he kept talking, "Gianni DiNozzo did, he was great, I was proud to take his name. He was the only person ever to stand up to my father when he was beating me."

"Did he beat you a lot as a child?" The lawyer asked putting a hand on his arm, Tony flinched and smirked. "Only on day's with a 'Y' in them."

"You know, until he disowned me and sent me to military school; I thought all fathers did that. When I found out different, I was determined to make him pay."

"What did you do?" She prompted.

"Well, I hate to admit it but I was a geek, I learned computers and hacking and bugging, went from script kiddie to white cap quicker than most geeks I know." He sent an apologetic grin McGee's way who sat there with his mouth open listening to the SFA's use of 'geek speak'. I would come home for holidays and hack into father's accounts and take digital recordings of his business meetings. These were worth the beatings I got just for coming home." He looked at his father and smiled at the rage he could see building in the old man.

"So you will testify that all the recordings we will be entering into evidence where taken at Antonio Colomba's home?" The lawyer asked.

"Yes and he's in every one of them." Tony stated defiantly.

"One last question for now." The lawyer said, "Why did you go into Law enforcement instead of joining your father?"

"I'm not a killer, I wanted to help people and put people like my father away. Everyone should be able to live a safe life, even if I couldn't. I didn't want anyone else to end up hurt, like my mother was, because of his actions."

 


	16. Chapter 16

The judge ordered a recess and Tony met in a side room with his team.

"You're doing great." Gibbs said and patted him on the back, Tony gave a huge grin, "I don't think the worst is behind me, yet." Tony told him and turned to look apologetically at McGee.

"You...you're a hacker?" Tim was stunned his brain had got stuck on that fact and hadn't really made it past much else in the court room.

Tony shrugged, "You know Tim, I told you I hated RATS."

"I thought you meant the furry kind." Tim grinned and Gibbs and Ziva looked confused. "You two want to clue me in?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes Boss," Tony replied, "R.A.T.S. it's an acronym it means Remote Administration Tools, it's a malware that can be connected back to you, rather than if you use a Botnet, which is connected to a server. "

"Headache!" Gibbs groaned as Tim stood with his mouth open.

"Wow!" Tim said, "So all those times we thought you had no clue what I was talking about and you seemed bored?"

"I was bored...but I did know what you were talking about, but there's only room for one Geek on this team and you're it Probie." Tony grinned.

There was knocking at the door and Tony was called back into court.

"Good luck," Gibbs said as they took their seats.

* * *

Jack Michaels considered the man in the witness box and really hated himself right now, but he knew if he asked the right questions he should be able to lose the case while still doing a good job.

"Mr. Colomba?" Jack said and Tony ignored him. "Mr. Colomba..." He said again.

"Sorry..." Tony started looking up, "I don't use that name, it's not me."

"It's who you are though." Jack stated.

"No, who I am is VERY Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, Try that!" Tony smirked.

"Agent DiNozzo," Jack continued with an inward smile. "You maintain that your father was sadistic and cruel and he beat you...Do you have any proof. The prosecution couldn't find any medical files from your childhood?"

"I'm not surprised, Bet you couldn't find any either not even immunizations, Father never took me to a doctor, He had his own men patch me up." Tony stated.

"So no physical proof then?" Jack said

A look of anger crossed Tony's face and he stood up, the bailiffs moved protectively but backed off as Tony turned around and lifted his shirt to gasps.

"How's that for proof," He said and then sat back down. Some of the jury were tearing up, having seen hundreds of scars on his back from years of abuse.

* * *

"In your line of work though 'Special Agent' we can't be sure you got those from other sources and your father had told us of your recent brush with your ex-wife."

Ziva's head shot up at that her, and by the looks on her teammates face they, hadn't realized he had been married to Vittoria.

"Vittoria had been acting on my fathers orders, but she was his enforcer, it was her job." He said.

"Yet, Mrs. DiNozzo is not here to defend herself is she." Jack hated where this was going but hopefully the jury would side with Tony.

"She was killed during an FBI raid to rescue myself and my daughter."

"Your daughter needed rescuing from her mother?" Jack asked, 'oh, I'm going to the special Hell!' he thought to himself.

"More from her and my father and you DO have the doctors' records for that." Tony spat at the lawyer.

"Yet, you left your daughter there to be raised by them and by your own admission, during an interview with your superior, knew they were raising her to be an assassin." Jack took a breath, "How can you say you are a better father than your father."

"My Father," Tony spat, "Sent Vittoria to get close to me, knowing how much I cared for her father. He wanted me to join the family business and was hopeful when I married her, but I wanted to be a cop. She left me when I joined the police academy, she told me after she left about the baby and my father told me she was to be given to the family in lieu of Tribute. If I mentioned about the family he would kill her, if I spent more than an hour a year with her or tried to see her at any other time they would kill her, then they threatened members of my team when I became a Fed."

Gibbs sat with his fists bunched looking like he wanted to him someone. Tony took a deep breath and gave Gibbs an imperceptible shake of the head to calm him down.

* * *

"So since you were twelve you've broken into your fathers accounts and taken information without his consent and lied to your employers."

"Yes." Tony said. "But..."

"So, you've just admitted on oath that you are a liar, Mr. Colomba. Why should the jury believe any evidence that the court see that has come from you?" Jack asked.

"Because the evidence speaks for itself, because I NEVER lied about the important things, just...I lied to stay alive, to keep my daughter alive." Tony said.

'Thank God' Jack thought, the jury were starting to hate him and like Tony.

"I am an NCIS Agent my evidence gathering as a kid may be in a friends word 'Hinky' but since I became an Agent the evidence then has been rock solid, and you shouldn't put the lives of more innocent people at risk just because I lied about my surname on an application form. The only thing I share with that man over there is DNA. That's it." Tony breathed out.

"Thank you Mr. DiNozzo." Jack said really meaning it.

Senior sat at the table looking furious as he realized the jury were believing what the whelp said.

"You can't believe what that worthless piece of scum says, He's a liar!" Senior yelled.

Jack shot a grin at Tony which confused him as the judge quickly brought order back to the court.

"Thank you Mr. DiNozzo," The judge said as Tony left the stand.

* * *

Tony walked out of the courtroom and went straight to the bathroom and vomited; he curled up on the bathroom floor and sobbed quietly, a moment later Gibbs was beside him with his hand on his shoulder.

"You ok son?" He asked.

"I can't believe it's over, I hope I never have to face him again...God, I hope they don't need Tonia's testimony." He breathed heavily trying to get control over his feelings.

"Tony, I'm sorry...The District attorney has asked you be there for seniors deposition."

"NO!" Tony shot up a look of horror in his face, "It's bad enough my perceptions of what he thinks of me and what I know he did, I can't hear them again."

"Think about it." Gibbs said gently, he wasn't going to force his SFA to sit through that but he had promised he would ask.

"Tonia is going to stay with Abby tonight, some sort of sleepover, you should come to my house, and the rest will do you good." Gibbs offered and Tony gave him a halfhearted smile and agreed.

Gibbs helped him up off of the bathroom floor, "Boss, How am I going to face the others now they know everything?" He said worriedly.

"We are family; nothing has changed from this morning." Gibbs said simply.

Tony nodded wearily and allowed Gibbs to take him to the car and away from the courtroom.


	17. Chapter 17

For another week the news was full of the trial of Antonio Colomba Senior. Everywhere Tony turned people were talking about it.

He had snuck into the trial a few times and sat unobtrusively at the back listening while the FBI outlined the evidence Tony had supplied them with plus the things they had gathered.

The worst part had been listening to the tape of Tonia being beaten and then him as well. He had, had to leave at the point where he had howled in anguish at believing his Boss and daughter were dead.

He ran out of the court room and went into the bathroom and it was a full half an hour before he could leave. As he walked out of the bathroom stall Gibbs was standing there with a wet paper towel. "Here" He said and Tony looked grateful.

"I didn't realize you guys could hear me," He said quietly.

"No one will think any less of you, no one on the team and it seemed that most of the jury was moved by the tape as well." Gibbs told him bluntly."Come on, Tonia's being called." He said and they walked back into the courtroom.

* * *

Tony took a seat right in front of the witness box so that as Tonia sat down she would be able to focus on him, although he knew she was strong in her own right and would probably sail through this. She needed to do it as part of her deal with the District Attorney for her testimony her record and any crimes committed under seniors influence would be expunged.

Sitting in the witness box Tonia looked more like a child than Gibbs had seen her.

"Please state your name for the record." The clerk said.

"Tonia DiColomba...err, DiNozzo" She faltered.

"I'll allow it," The judge nodded to the court reporter, "Just use both names."

"Sorry," Tonia said shyly.

The judge smiled at her.

"Can you tell us your age?" The prosecuting attorney asked.

"16." She replied.

"What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"He's my Grandfather. Although he's more my employer than my grandfather. The grandfather is just the DNA part."

"How did he 'employ' you?" The lawyer asked.

"Mom and Senior raised me to be their assassin, they taught me weapons skill, and I am a skilled sniper. I am also skilled in hand to hand, Poison use and antidotes and also all forms of martial arts." She said quietly causing a gasp from the jury.

"Why would you be taught these things?" The lawyer asked a bit stunned herself.

"Poppa said, it was because mother couldn't be everywhere and I was his property to use as he saw fit, it was my job to slip in where a child would be unnoticed and," Her voice dropped down, "Poppa said I was also less valuable than mother and I could be used as an expendable asset."

Tony's fists clenched and he felt Gibbs' hand on his shoulder steadying him.

* * *

"And what about your father, how did you feel about him leaving you there?" The lawyer asked gently.

"I knew dad wanted me, I saw him for an hour a year on my birthday, but he used to sneak in to see me when it was safe, when mom and Poppa were away. He said it was dangerous for me to be with him as they had threatened me and his friends. I KNOW he loves me and he told me I wasn't worthless to him. He even risked his job and life to save me." Tonia said tears threatening to fall but looking defiant. "Both Mother and Senior treated me like I was nothing more than a tool to be used, MY FATHER was everything his father NEVER was to him and I am proud to be his daughter, He's offered me a chance to go to school and hopefully become a federal agent like him so I can help people too." She stated.

"Did you ever kill anyone for ?" The lawyer asked.

"I have 132 kills under my belt all for Senior, under orders." She said quietly and the jury gasped. "All of which are available to the court on the USB drives my father supplied to the FBI, I managed to get him information on each kill he made me do. I figured I owed it to the families of the people he had me kill." She cried openly now and the judge ordered a recess.

* * *

Senior met with his lawyer in a back room.

"This isn't looking good, how can the jury listen to them and not me!" He whined to Jack.

"Mr. Colomba, the evidence against you is overwhelming the best you can hope for is if the District Attorney agrees to a deal for a lesser sentence." Jack said hoping Senior would go for it.

"ABSOLUTLY NOT! I AM...not getting out of this am I?" Seniors ranting trailed off. He sat heavily in his chair, "Oh God! I can't believe the boy beat me." He put his head in his hands.

Jack shook his head as he went to talk to the district attorney.

Ten minutes later he returned, Senior still sat there with his head in his hands as the defense lawyer entered he looked up hopefully.

"Basically, you're screwed." Jack said bluntly with a slight smirk he was having trouble hiding."The best I can get is you are stripped of your assets and get life imprisonment. Or the D.A. want to go for the death penalty, they have added child abuse, and torture and the attack on a federal Agent to your charges."

"I really don't have any other choice?" Senior asked.

"Nope." Jack told him.

Senior sat up straight and looked his lawyer in the eye, "I will agree on one condition, I want five minutes alone with junior, no observers."

Jack went out and talked to the lawyer again.

"You're kidding!" The District attorney said stunned.

"Nope that's his terms," Jack informed her. "You'll have to see if Mr. DiNozzo agrees to it."

"I hate you sometimes." The district attorney said to jack with a slight grin. "Fine I'll ask."

* * *

Gibbs stood in between the district attorney and Tony, "NO WAY!" He growled. "There is absolutely no way he is going into a room with Senior alone, unsupervised."

"Wait!" Tony said, "If I do this it's certain he goes down and the family is destroyed. Tonia has provided the names of the people he killed, will you promise that all his assets are divided and shared equally between his victims; any money left over must be given to charities for abused children. You agree to those terms and I'll see him and you get your guaranteed conviction."

The district attorney and Gibbs were both stunned at his terms. Gibbs smiled at that moment he was more than proud of his SFA.

"Very well, I'll clear it with the judge." The district attorney left.

"I'm really proud of you." Gibbs told him.

"Na, I mean anyone would do it, just to make sure he goes down and this way the victims get closure." Tony told him. In truth he was terrified but he needed this over so he could return to his own life.

Gibbs smiled and went to find the others. As he left Tony sat in a chair and put his head in his hands and tried really hard not to hyperventilate.

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!' he breathed to himself, 'he's going to kill me!' he knew he would be left alone for a while and let silent tears flow as he kept shaking. 'Come on, just let the fear out and do this!' he told himself and used this time to get himself ready for a showdown with his father.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Tony stood outside the door and took a deep breath; Gibbs put his hand on his SFA's shoulder. "You don't have to do this you know." He said.

Tony pulled his emotions together, "Yes I do, if not for me then for Tonia and the families whose lives he ruined." He turned to Gibbs and smirked, "I'll be ok." He said and went in the room.

Senior looked up from the desk he was sitting behind. "Junior." He said flatly.

"Well, I'm here what do you want?" Tony asked sitting in a chair.

"Why?" Senior asked it was all he wanted to know.

"Why, what?" Tony snapped back at him.

"Why did you go against the family, against me?" He asked.

"Seriously you're going to spend your last five minutes with me asking THAT question. God!" Tony sat shocked, "OK I'll tell you, because you I hate you, you were a lousy father and an evil son of a bitch and I wish that I had never been your son." Tony spat at him.

Senior got up and grinned. "Finally, I can see you do have some of me in you." He took a step closer and tried to goad Tony into taking a swing at him.

"I'm not gonna lay a finger on you." Tony took a step back and turned around, "You're not even worth five minutes we're done." He said and started to walk away.

Senior picked up the chair he'd been sitting on and hit Tony around the back of the head. Tony staggered blood pouring from the back of his head as Senior grabbed him by the hair, "You always were worthless boy, It's a wonder I let you live biggest thing I regret is not killing you when I killed your mother. I may spend the rest of my life in prison but you should know at least I had the foresight to kill your son even if I did let your daughter live."

Tony looked at Senior shocked, "My...my son?"

"You think I was going to chance another boy becoming a useless cop. At least with a girl if she wasn't useful we could whore her out." Senior spat and Tony finally snapped.

He grabbed Senior by the throat and hauled him up against the wall. Tony hit him once as Gibbs came in to tell him his time was up.

* * *

He pulled Tony off of his father and called for the guards to grab Senior.

As senior was hauled off Gibbs grabbed his SFA who was slowly sliding down the wall and hyperventilating.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Gibbs yelled at him.

"Boss...I..." Tony sat there and Gibbs noticed the blood from the back of his head.

"Oh Geez Tony, what did he do?" Gibbs said and called for a paramedic.

"I don't ever have to see him again right Boss?" Tony asked.

"Nope, at least you attacked him in self defense so if he was planning on getting you charged he can't" Gibbs told him.

"Didn't..."Tony started sobbing sat on the floor with his head in between his knees.

"Didn't what?" Gibbs pushed gently.

"I wanted to kill him...he said...He..." Tony couldn't finish the sentence as the pain in his head was too much and he passed out.

* * *

Tonia sat with Abby and Gibbs as they watched Tony sleep.

"Will he be ok Abs?" Tonia asked.

"The doctor says he had a concussion," She told her. Tonia held Abby's hand needing the extra comfort having walked around the corner with Abby after lunch to see Gibbs and her father being loaded into an ambulance.

"Gibbs what happened?" She asked

"I don't know, we came in and Senior had hit your father over the head with a chair and your father was defending himself."

"Wasn't..." Tony said

Tonia's face dropped, "He told you didn't he...about Dino?" She asked.

Tony nodded, "Why didn't you?" he asked crying

"Papa, I wasn't allowed, I only knew because I heard them talking about him and what they had done, I didn't want to hurt you anymore than they had done...It couldn't bring him back you know." Tony held out his arms and Tonia cried with him, "But I never forgot him." She told him.

Gibbs and Abby looked questioningly at the pair of them.

"Senior told me, Tonia had a twin brother, he had him killed." Tony told him. That was all he was going to tell him, maybe sometime in the future he'd tell him the rest of what Senior had said, but not while Tonia was there.

* * *

"Tony, while you were out the judge sentenced Senior to life. He's never getting out and you never have to see him again, all seniors' assets have been seized and are to be distributed amongst the victims named in the files you gave."

"I wish I had seen his face." Tony smiled and Tonia gave exactly the same grin.

"Awww that's so cute." Abby commented and they both smiled wider.

"Also the judge had sealed all records on Tonia Colomba, you are now Tonia DiNozzo and all records pertaining to your past and yours with your father, Tony are now sealed." Gibbs loved being able to make his SFA smile.

"Great so when can I get out of here, I think we need a family cook out at my place." Tony said.

"Just waiting for your papers now." Gibbs told him.

Tony looked at Abby, "Can you do me a favor Abs, Call the others include Fornell, Vance and his family and get them round to my place for six."

"Sure," Abby smiled and went to make the calls.

"What ya thinking dad?" Tonia asked.

"Full disclosure kiddo, and also I want to introduce you to everybody as a DiNozzo and I have a surprise for you" Tony's eyes sparkled as Tonia looked at him questioningly.

* * *

At six they were all gathered in Tony's back garden around the grill eating and drinking, when Director Vance and his wife walked up to Tony who was having a beer with Tim.

"You have a lovely home." Jackie Vance said to Tony and Tony smiled back at her.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it, you and the kids are welcome to use any of the facilities at any time, I already gave the director the gate codes." He said.

"But Tony, don't you have to give this place back to the FBI now?" Tim asked.

Gibbs grinned and Ziva looked up interested.

"No, Probie, This is my home, I own it." Tony said grinning at the look of shock on Tim's face."OK while you're all here I'll tell you all together, that way I don't have to repeat myself. Sit down please." He said and waited whilst they all sat down.

"You all know about my father, well, my mother was rich too, I inherited $65 million dollars from my mother's estate which she had hidden for me and the FBI helped me release it."

"So are you quitting?" Ziva asked with a hint of worry, but Tony grinned at her, "And leave you two to the wrath of Bossman without me, NEVER!" He laughed.

"Dad?" Tonia asked still wanting to know what her surprise was.

"Oh honey, I meant to tell you, I sent off the application I found in your room for Georgetown, you got in!" He grinned as she grabbed him around the neck in a hug to rival one of Abbys' and squealed with delight, "Thank you."

Fornell walked up to her "The only other thing you need is your new Identity as of right now you are officially Antonietta Sophia DiNozzo." He told her.

Tony mouthed a thank you to Fornell as Tonia hugged him too.

* * *

He sat back in a lounge chair as Gibbs settled into the one next to him.

"So back to normal Monday?" He asked.

"Yeah, finally I get to go to work as me, really me Boss and no more secrets I promise."

"I should hope not," Gibbs smiled, "Although you still need to talk to Tim about stealing his car."

"It's in hand Boss," Tony smiled as Tim opened an envelope Tonia handed him with the keys to a brand new Porsche Boxster.

"Tony I...Thank you!" Tim said thrilled.

"So are we good about me stealing your car?" Tony asked.

Tim nodded "Sure as long as you don't do it again."

Gibbs looked as Tonia, Abby and Vance's kids played in the pool.

"D'ya know what Tony?" He said and Tony looked over at him, "I think, just maybe, you're gonna be ok."

Tony nodded, as he looked at his family enjoying themselves. No more senior, No more nightmares.


End file.
